Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutComp Plan March 1984CITY OF WHEAT' RIDGE COLORADO COUNCIL, COMMISSION $ STAFF AI' ADOPTION OF SECTION I - Established Character (April 9, 1979) MAYOR Oliver Phillips Joseph Donaldson Mary Jo Cavarra, Anthony Flasco Gary Lewman Ray Pepe Louise Turner Mayor Pro-Tem President CITY COUNCIL PLANNING COMMISSION STAFF Calvin Jenks, Chairman Bonnie Scoma, Vice Chairman Wayne Preston Nancy Snow Leland Stewart Ivan Hawn, Alternate Louis Longo, Alternate John Martin, Alternate Charles Stromberg, Director of Community Development Thomas P. Lam, Supervisor of Long Range Planning COUNCIL, COMMISSION $ STAFF AT ORIGINAL ADOPTION OF PLAN (September 27, 1976) MAYOR Frank Stites CITY COUNCIL Joseph Donaldson, Mayor Pro-Tem Lawrence Merkle, President Mary Jo Cavarra Robert Howard Calvin Hulsey Louise Turner PLANNING COMMISSION Leland Stewart, Chairman Otto Bobber, Vice Chairman Calvin Jenks Gary Lewman Bonnie Scoma Wayne Preston, Alternate STMT Dennis W. Zwagerman, Director of Community Development Principal Author: Thomas P. Lam, Planner II David C. Shelley, Planner II Marilyn Habgood, Planner I Tony Catrine, Planning Technician Larry Rasinski, Planning Draftsman Patricia Cesaro, Secretary DATE OF PRINTING: August, 1978 SECOND PRINTING: October, 1979 THIRD PRINTING: March, 1984 CITY COUNCIL ACTIONS/AMENDMENTS i 1. Total Plan Adopted by Council September 27, 1976 2. Future Land Use Map Amended _ at 4295.Kipling Street August 29, 1977 3. Street Intersection Cross-Sections for 49th and Kipling, and 32nd and Youngfield were amended February 27, 1978 4. Section I - Established Character Adopted by Council April 9, 1979 5. Section IX - Master Plans for Area Development A. Wadsworth Town Center - Master Plan Adopted by Council January 25, 1982 6. Section IX - Master Plans for Area Development - B. Kipling Activity Center - Master Plan Adopted by Council March 21, 1983 7. Future Land Use Map Amended in Vicinity of I-70 and Kipling March 21, 1983 8. Future Land Use Map Amended in Vicinity of West 32nd Avenue and Union July 2S, 1983 9. Future Land Use Map Amended in Vicinity of West 38th Avenue and Jay September 12, 1983 10. Future Land Use Map - Major Street Plan Amended in Vicinity of Ward Road and West 50th Avenue September 12, 1983 11. Future Land Use Map Amended in Vicinity of Marshall Street and West 48th Avenue September 26, 1983 CONTENTS CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE. COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN PAGE Names of Council, Planning Commission $ Staff i City Council Actions ii Table of Contents FOLDOUT SUMMARY AND MAP OF COMPREHENSIVE DEVELOPMENT PLAN CONTAINING: LAND USE STREETS BIKEWAYS SECTION I (pages 1 - 3) SECTION II (pages 1 - 13) SECTION III (pages I - S) SECTION IV (pages 1 - 26) SECTION V (pages 1 - 48) SECTION VI (pages 1 - 43) SECTION VII (pages 1 - 30) SECTION VIII SECTION IX ESTABLISHED CHARACTER GOALS AND OBJECTIVES POPULATION LAND USE TRANSPORTATION ECONOMIC BASE PUBLIC FACILITIES PARKS AND RECREATION (published as a separate document) MASTER PLANS FOR AREA DEVELOPMENT A. Wadsworth Town Center B. Kipling Activity Center (available as a separate document) In part, the preparation of this report was financially aided through a Federal Grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, under the Urban Planning Assistance Program, authorized by Section 701 of the Housing Act of 1954, as amended. i i i (RESERVED) iv July 18, 1986 AMENDMENT On July 8, 1985, the City Council reviewed a proposal to amend the Comprehensive Plan relating to the description and intent of the Multiple Use Area land use classification. At that time they approved the following: 1. Comprehensive Plan, Page IV-20, under General Discussion, No. 3, will be changed to read as follows: "Multiple Use Area (residential, public and semi-public, parks and open space, office and retail commercial)." 2. Comprehensive Plan, Page IV-24, No. 3, will be changed to read as follows: "This category of use anticipates a mix of medium to high density residential, office, and /or retail commercial uses, and parks and open space, and public/semi-public uses, to be developed in a manner which insures compatibility between uses within multiple use areas. It is also the objective of this category to promote compatibility of uses between multiple use areas and adjacent uses, especially where adjacent to low density residential uses. Industrial uses are specifically prohibited." (RESERVED) v SECTION I ESTABLISHED CHARACTER FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO SECTION I-TITLE PAGE SECTION I ESTABLISHED CHARACTER FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I. OUR LOCAL HERITAGE I II. DESIRED CHARACTER 2 III. IMPLEMENTATION 3 SECTION I-Contents List A PREAMBLE FOR THE RESIDENTS OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO, TO PERPBTIIAIT3 ITS PAST AND TO SUSTAIN TTS PUTl1R1! We, the Residents of the City of Wheat Ridge, shall dedicate ourselves to preserve the historical geographical nature of our environment located at the base of the Rocky Mountains along the banks of Clear Creek in Jefferson County. We proclaim that the family and its home is the central human institution in our City and the basic reason for the creation of towns and cities; and that all other social, economic and political activities are mere supporting imple- ments which should assist, sustain and protect the general well-being of the family unit in the local society. We shall dedicate ourselves to plan, build and maintain homes that harmonize with the setting; and within them nurture a family who will appreciate and enjoy living in the community. We shall dedicate ourselves to participate in our local governments and to direct our elected officials to carefully plan city zoning regulations, local and major arteries of traffic, and health-safety and general welfare regulations which first will enhance the quality of our family life and the security of the home. I. OUR LOCAL HERITAGE Much has transpired in our community on the banks of Clear Creek (Vasquez Creek) since the primitive Indians struck down their teepees over a century ago and trailed off northward, leaving behind their cherished valley. . . Never to return again. Those who worshipped the sun and the land were quickly supplanted by explorers, trappers, enthusiastic miners and sedentary farmers. History records their appreciation of the beauty and productivity of this restful land. Rufus B. Sage, an early western explorer and newspaper correspondent from Connecticut (1836-1847), wrote these heart-felt words of praise about our locality while camping on Vasquez Creek below Lookout Mountain. "There are few localities in the vicinity of the Rocky Mountains better suited for a small settlement or possessed of greater agricultural advantages than this valley. All the different varieties of wildfruits and game indigenous to the mountains are found here in great abundance along the Creek bottoms. The scenery in the vicinity of my camp is romantic, wild and beautiful." Farmers quickly took the initiative in cultivating the land through home- steading and diverting irrigation water to the farms; planting wheat, I - I fruit trees, flowers, vegetables and berries; and constructing homes, schools, churches and roads. They created a community pride and spirit which has prevailed to this day. Since the end of World War II in 1945, our locality has been a focal point of suburban housing and commercial development. People, while visiting us, appreciated what they perceived and decided to reside here. They appreciated the many positive advantages of living in the area. Along with the advantages, however, growth-related problems began to develop. The City of Wheat Ridge was incorporated in 1969. II. DiSIRED CHARACTER To determine the character of Wheat Ridge, opinions were surveyed and questionnaires tabulated and analyzed. The results tend to substantiate that the philosophy and aspirations common to the community since its early years continue to endure. Consensus studies portray people as desiring to retain physical evidence of the agricultural frontier; as seeking for open space, parks and vistas of the mountains and countryside, and for low density family homes with a place to play at or near home amidst natural surroundings reached safely by walkways or special paths. Outstanding aspects of this community are its desirable size and ideal location. Its size facilitates a close relationship between store, office and home. Its geographic location facilitates access to the benefits of the metro- politan area and the mountains. Even though Wheat Ridge is a part of the metropolitan area, it is removed from it by its character. Some areas take on the character of a friendly small town with greenery, quietness, openness, friendly neighbors and lack of congestion. In other areas, nooks of the rural provide the opportunity to have or see animals, farms, gardens, and roadside stands. Wheat Ridge, known as "'The Carnation City," is predominantly residential with a mixture of low rise architecture and a variety of inde- pendent life styles ranging from agricultural to cosmopolitan. The people desire city streets adequate for local needs and well maintained and regulated against danger and excessive noise. Local concern is expressed that state and federal highways meet the local residents' needs and provide safeguards to keep people from being imprisoned within their homes by swiftly moving walls of automobile traffic. They also desire opportunities to use public transportation and bikeways and walkways to local trade and service ! centers, public facilities, and employment localities when more advantageous than by personal automobile. Localized commercial and light industry are desired and needed to provide services, reasonable employment and economic base; but need strict zoning to provide adequate safeguards against loss of value to adjoining residential property, and to the established quality of life in the community. During the past few years, many new residents from large core cities provide examples of the mobility of people and of industry to the suburbs, caused by poor and excessive government regulations without proper concern for the people. I - 2 Qualify of life in Wheat Ridge comes from the people themselves and has the beauty and serenity of the country as well as the excitement and convenience of the city. Wheat Ridge does and will attract the kind of people who are drawn here by its character and should resist the temptation to become just like another city or suburb. Efforts should be made to recognize and focus on the good points of our community so that the best of the past can be blended with the ever-changing present and the unknown future. Thus, the community shall be guided through time with the knowledge that there is a common feeling about what the community is and where it is going. III. IMPLEMENTATION Our local people have a feeling of belonging, and will support cooperative effort and community spirit in preserving and fostering moral and spiritual values of past pioneers; and will assist in preserving the physical structures and existing environments which those early residents so courageously built and tenderly preserved. All of us should be obligated to the past, dedicated to the present, and planning for the future if Wheat Ridge is to be as we desire. Each of us must dedicate our sincere and courageous efforts to promote and initiate into practice the present expressed desires and plans. Also, each person must contribute creative ideas and support for projecting our growth into the future. The vitality of Wheat Ridge must be sustained and not be allowed to decay because of changing times; but it must continue to live and mature in all those values which we so strongly desire. I - 3 SECTION II GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO Section II-Title Page SECTION II GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO TABLE OF CONTENTS I. II. III. IV. V. VI. i I I_ 'i t POPULATION LAND USE TRANSPORTATION ECONOMIC BASE PUBLIC FACILITIES PARKS AND OPEN SPACE Section II- Contents List PAGE 1 1 6 9 10 11 I. POPULATION GOALS: A. To ensure a moderate rate of growth which will allow for the provision of needed services. B. To encourage a diverse social environment, composed of people of different backgrounds, races, incomes, age levels and interests. OBJECTIVES: 1. By adopting a policy of controlled growth, implemented by land use ordinances and :a transportation plan. 2. By encouraging development which will provide employment opportunities and a variety of housing types. II. LAND USE GOALS: General A. To recognize land as a valuable and limited resource, which should be used in the best interest of all citizens. B. To recognize the fragility of the environment and to plan for land use which will cause a minimum of harm to the environment. C. To promote an aesthetic and pleasant environment for all citizens. D. To ensure that each development is a positive contribution to the entire community, and is related to the existing development, rather than allowing projects to occur haphazardly. E. To emphasize planning for the neighborhoods; recognizing the different needs of each, while striving to integrate each one into the fabric of the City. 11 -1 F. To provide for a moderate growth rate which will allow the City to pro- vide an adequate level of services. G. To plan for an urban form which will complement the transportation plan and increase the feasibility and utilization-of mass transit. OBJECTIVES: 1. By enacting performance standards for all development and redevelopment to ensure positive impact upon the environment, the society and the economy. 2. By making extensive use of the PUD zoning concept to encourage innovation, design excellance and conservation of land. 3. By encouraging the use of techniques such as clustering structures to achieve more open space. 4. By supporting a concept of a state land use plan - recognizing. that actions by other jurisdictions may have a great impact upon Wheat Ridge. S. By encouraging multi-use in mineral deposit areas: First - resource extraction; second - land fill; third - final reclamation and development in accordance with the comprehensive plan. I, 6. By locating development so as to preserve natural resources. 7. By encouraging a region-wide transportation plan which emphasizes alternatives to the automobile especially fixed modes which can affect urban form. 8. By beautifying the City, using methods such as development of parkways, burying utility lines, enforcement of sign and building codes, and requiring more landscaping on new projects. II -2. 6; T IT. LAND USE (cont.) GOALS: Residential A. To provide housing choices to meet a wide variety of housing needs. B. To locate housing in areas convenient to services and the proper amenities C. To provide help in acquiring the type of housing needed for those who need it. D. To make residential areas aesthetically pleasing, functional and protected from adverse influence. OBJECTIVES: 1. By adopting zoning regulations which will increase the range of housing choices available. 2. By locating residential development convenient to parks, schools, mass transit, work and shopping. 3. By encouraging mid-density and in some cases high-density residential development so as to complement a mass transit system and to conserve open space. 4. By showing in the Future Land Use Plan suitable locations for low, medium, and high density development. 5. By establishing policies to develop proper housing and nursing homes for the senior citizens. 6. By bonuses in density in development for the provision of superior design, unique recreational facilities, increase in open space, or provision of units at the lower end of the housing market. IT _3 7. By locating residential development in areas where there are no hazards- flood plains, wildfire areas, areas with unstable soils. 3. By buffering residential areas from more intensive uses. II LAND USE (cont.) GOALS: Commercial and Industrial A. To promote convenient commercial service and public uses within the neighborhood, which are in harmony with the residential uses in the ' neighborhood. B. To encourage land uses which will provide employment for the citizens, i so that in the future many people will be able to live and work within the City. C. To provide for additional commercial, office and service uses provided that they are conveniently located, attractively developed and meet the i demonstrated needs of the City. D. To continue to allow only light industry and to locate these industries within unified, well-planned industrial parks. OBJECTIVES: j 1. By encouraging the development of community activity centers encompasing a broad range of land uses, each complementing the other. These centers must be pedestrian oriented and be unified architecturally. 2. By promoting concepts such as shared parking or parking structures within commercial areas or activity centers so as to encourage pedestrian activity, 4 I thereby reducing use of the automobile. 3. By encouraging,an up-grading of existing strip commercial development. I_ 4. By providing the amount of land required for the community activity centers, by redevelopment of existing commercial areas, if necessary. I II-4 S. By providing incentives for businesses to relocate from strip commercial areas to the community activity centers. 6. By zoning provisions which would allow compatible commercial areas within the various neighborhoods. 7. By encouraging light industry to locate within the City to provide employ- ment and increase the tax base. 8. By locating commercial facilities close to mass transit lines. 9. By locating industrial uses on sites large enough to be developed as an integrated whole. II. LAND USE (cont.) GOALS: Open Space A. To provide cultural and recreational opportunities for all citizens. B. To provide psychological visual relief from the effects of urbanization. C. To recognize the value of our dwindling supply of open space and to promote its preservation. OBJECTIVES: 1. By implementing the Parks and Open Space Plan in an expeditious manner 2. By encouraging the use of plazas, landscaped areas, parkways, open space and buffer areas within new developments and redevelopments. 3. By preserving appropriate natural areas and open space as scenic areas, farm- lands, buffers, recreational areas and wildlife habitat, especially by limiting i' development in hazardous areas such as flood plains, areas with unstable soils, wildlife areas and excessive slopes. 11 -5 4. By continuing cooperation with the school district in providing neighborhood parks, school facilities, playgrounds and cultural events. S. By providing a senior citizen recreational center in the southeast section of the city. 6. By constructing a multi-use City recreation center. III. TRANSPORTATION GOALS: A. To participate in the development of a well balanced regional transportation system to move people and goods in a safe, expeditious and economic manner. B. To provide an alternative transportation system so as to reverse the existing emphasis on the automobile as the primary means of transportation. C. To ensure public safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. D. To promote proper future development by curtailing disorganized street i development. E. To plan a transportation network that will complement an innovative land use plan. I F. To plan a street network that routes traffic around the neighborhoods rather then dissecting them. G. To promote the development of community activity centers which will decrease the use of the automobile. H. To increase the attractiveness of the City's streets. II -6 OBJECTIVES: 1. By increasing both inter and intra City bus service so as to discourage private automobile usage. 2. By supporting regional efforts to encourage car pooling. 3. By reviewing the concept of a fixed mode of transportation, such as fixed rail, PRT, trolley, monorail on a regional level. 4. By widening streets only when necessary, with emphasis upon providing parkways, bikeways and turn lanes rather than adding travel lanes. 5. By controlling access from businesses along major streets - by decreasing the number of curb cuts. 6. By controlling access to major streets from local streets by use of a median. i 7. By providing more sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, bikeways and pedestrian bridges. I 8. By improving and adding where'necessary; traffic controls and synchronized signals. 9. By providing suitable street lights. ~ 10. By promoting and providing incentives for shared parking and parking structures to decrease the amount of land devoted to the automobile, and encourage pedestrian activity. 11. By provision of additional landscaping along major streets, which will improve j the street visually, and also buffer adjoining uses from the effects of traffic. i 12. By encouraging screening of parking areas by use of grade separation., land- scaping or walls. 11 _7.. III. TRANSPORTATION (cont.) GOALS: Bikeways A. To minimize traffic conjestion and resultant air pollution by providing safe and convenient alternatives to the private automobile. B. To encourage such forms of mixed mode transportation as'the bus-bicycle transfer system and the "Pedal Hopper" concept.1 C. To provide a means of transportation for those who do not or cannot own automobiles, or prefer not to use them.. D. To encourage biking and walking as viable forms of transportation and re- creation. OBJECTIVES: 1. By planning a bikeway system which interconnects neighborhoods with shopping, recreation, work and schools. 2. By utilizing drainageways as transportation corridors and recreational opportunities for cyclists and pedestrians. 3. By coordinating the planned bikeways with the systems of other cities. ro rams 4. By passing appropriate traffic ordinances and promoting educational for bicyclists and motorists. 5. By providing bicycle support systems such as parking, licensing and restrooms. I Mears of transporting bikes on buses 11 -8 IV. ECONOMIC BASE GOALS: A. To encourage a strong diversified economic base, which will enable the City to provide quality services at a reasonable tax rate. B. To utilize the limited developable commercial land in a responsible manner. C. To provide a full range of retail shopping with special emphasis upon in- creasing furniture, clothing and dry goods sales. D. To provide a pleasant shopping environment which will make shopping in comfort, safety and convenience possible. E. To provide incentive for the development of community activity centers - the best method of achieving the above goals. These centers will provide a unified shopping environment, and contain diverse but compatible uses. Pedestrian activity will be emphasized and hopefully the design elements will include shared parking or parking structures, extensive landscaping, pla>_as, malls, and a unified sign program. The result should be an atmosphere conducive to browsing and comparison shopping, higher sales volume, and increased feasibilitv of mass transit. F. To provide employment for those who wish to work in the City - presently approxil mately 950 of the residents work elsewhere. OBJECTIVES: 1. By prohibiting the extension of present strip commercial development, unless it is properly planned to-solve problems created by typical strip development and it i~- clearly demonstrated it will be an asset to the community. 2. By providing incentives for business to relocate to the activity centers and by channeling appropriate new development to the activity centers. 11 _9 3. By including within the zoning ordinance, bonuses in lot coverage for such elements as excellent design of commercial areas. 4. By increasing the number of businesses selling jewelry, sporting goods, and other miscellaneous items. 5. By encouraging the location of light industry and wholesale business within the City. 6. By utilizing design criteria and performance standards to ensure the compati- ility of commercial and industrial uses with less intensive land uses. V. PUBLIC FACILITIES GOALS: A. To plan and provide, on an equitable basis, a full range and the highest level of services the citizens are willing to support. B. To improve the efficiency of City government and quasi-public agencies. C. To achieve intergovernmental cooperation whenever possible. D. To be aware of the needs of wheat Ridge citizens in health and welfare. OBJECTIVES: 1. By analyzing deficiencies, if any, of social programs and to ascertain what role the City can and should play in remedying these deficiencies. 2. By providing additional educational services, in conjunction with the school system whenever possible, deemed necessary by the citizens. 3. By developing cultural and recreational programs needed by the citizens. 4. By constructing a City recreation center. II -10 1 °A S. By providing a full range of services such as, street improvement and main- tence, drainage and flood control, water, sanitation, police and fire pro- tection, and cultural and recreational activities. 6. By providing a central city hall large enough to accommodate most of the City agencies so as to provide a better working environment,and therefore increase efficiency. 7. By consolidating the existing special districts which provide municipal ser- vices. S. By displaying appropriate examples of well designed architecture and land- scaping in City facilities to serve as an example. 9. By encouraging recycling of water and sewer and by ensuring the supply of water and waste treatment facilities is adequate. VI. PARKS AND OPEN SPACE GOALS: A. To meet the parks and recreational needs of all the citizens by meetin.- national standards for parks, recreation and open space. B. To provide an aesthetic asset to the community and to provide visual and pychological relief from the effects of urbanization. C. To provide open space that functions as part of the structural framework of the City. D. To provide diverse cultural facilities and activities. E. To preserve natural resources, scenic areas and wildlife habitats. II _1] I, F. To provide an opportunity for education in ecology for students and adults. G. To include historic preservation efforts within the park program. OBJECTIVES: 1. By preserving natural areas and open space as scenic areas, buffers, re- creational areas and wildlife habitat, by utilizing hazardous areas such as flood plains. 2. By acquiring parks and open space as a part of land development proposals. 3. By construction of a senior citizen recreation center, preferably in the southeast section of the City. 4. By constructing a community recreation center which provides a variety of activities such as swimming, art exhibits, workshops, gymnastics, science fairs, musical events and bazaars. S. By the development of additional recreational facilities such as tennis courts, archery ranges, handball courts, golf courses, band shells, nature trails. etc. 6. By providing an additional 73 acres of neighborhood parks and 112 acres of community parks, and by completing the Clear Creek linear park as soon as possible. 7. By acquiring critical or endangered parcels for parks as a first priority, less threatened parcels at a more leisurely pace. i 8. By utilizing Lena Gulch and Rocky Mountain Ditch as connections and trail 'i..- systems between schools, open space, parks and neighborhoods. II -12 9. By encouraging the inclusion of plazas, malls, buffers and landscaping in proposed development. 10. By preservation of historic sites, especially the Wheat Ridge Sod House and the Hart Estate. 11. By cooperation with the R-1 School District in development of the park-school concept, and other recreational and cultural activities. II -13 SECTION III POPULATION ANALYSIS $ PROJECTION FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO Section III-Title Page SECTION III POPULATION ANALYSIS & PROJECTION FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I. GENERAL DISCUSSION 1 II. THE EXISTING SITUATION 1 A. Population and Growth Trend 1 B. Age and Population Distribution 2 C. Minorities 2 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 WHEAT RIDGE POPULATION PROJECTION 2 Figure 2 POPULATION BY NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING GROUPS 4 Figure 3 POPULATION PYRAMIDS, 1960 4 1970 CITY OF 5 WHEAT RIDGE Section III-Contents & Figures Lists POPULATION AND GROWTH GENERAL DISCUSSION The growth of a city is measured in terms of population increase. Increase of population has a direct bearing on the growth of physical and economic developments, such as housing, business and services. Population and its growth trend will be discussed here, followed by the dis- cussion of age and population distribution and minorities in the City. THE EXISTING SITUATION Population and Growth Trend - Except Denver, Jefferson County has the largest population in the metro- politan area. The 1975 population estimation for the County is 522,800. From January 1, 1974 to January 1, 1975, the County had a net increase of 12,000 people. This is the second largest net increase in the metro- politan area. Being part of Jefferson County, Wheat Ridge had its fair share of popula- tion increase. From 1960 to 1970, the City's population increased from 21,619 to 29,795 (37.82% increase). From the 19710 Census to 1975, it is estimated that the city had an additional increase of 6,000 people. Wheat Ridge is located adjacent to the west side of Denver. Therefore, the general growth trend of the city is from east to west. The eastern two- thirds of the city is nearly reaching its full development. The future growth will be concentrated on the west side where there is still much vacant and agricultural land. The projection of the population to the year 2000 as shown in Figure 1 is estimated to be 44,000. III-1 1960 1970 1975 (June) 1980 1990 2000 20,000 30,000 40,000 50,000 POPULATION 50,000 r High Estimation Median Estimation . f f Low Estimation 40,000 z cl: J Q- 0 EL High 37,500 High 43,500 High 50,000 30,000 'Med 37,000 Med 41,000 Med 44,000 Low 36,500 Low 39,000 Low 41,500 20,000 ~ ' - 1960 1970 175 1980 1990 2000 YEAR FIGURE 1 WHEAT RIDGE POPULATION PROJECTION Source: Dept, of Community Dev.,Wheat Ridge,1975 III - 2 Age and Population Distribution From the 1960 Census to the 1970 Census, the people 65 years and over in- creased from 1,405 to 2,665 (89.68e). Out of these 2,665 senior citizens, , 1,697 (63.680) of them lived cast of Wadsworth Boulevard. However, the age 24 years old and under are spread quite evenly throughout the city. They constituted just under 50% of the entire population in 1970. Figure 2 shows the population distribution and Figure 3 shows the population pyramids of the 1960 and 1970 Census. Minorities According to the 1970 Census, there were 1,252 people (4.19$) belonging to minority groups in the City. The break down is as follows: 1,204 people were Spanish speaking or had Spanish surnames (632 male and S72 female), and there were 48 blacks (29 male and 19 female). III-3 P^I8 UUPize4S _ l~l N ~ CI N M Cf M M ry.r MQ O 1~ O N O T G1 O 6 d ~ r PnI9 is 'P21 PJUAI C N •ti M N 41 N t0 7~- G M 0 w O~ O•ro0 UEO ulF !n ` N N 0 O > M 0 0 1~ h u d m rte-. .M (.•1 •M F CN LL ru M ~ e , U1 ~p k n Q \ ti ~ ~ 9 Y-^'~ O N 10 t • .n r- 13 v M III 14 i POPULATION OF WHEAT RIDGE 1960-70 FIGURE 3 1970 372 75 a OVER 752 MALE 296 70 - 74 379 FEMALE 416 65 - 69 446 664 60 - 64 710 865 55 - 59 925 996 50 - 54 1,16 991 45 - 49 1,140 860 40 - 44 978 716 35 - 39 ez7 813 30 - 34 en 1,050 25 - 29 1,118 971 20 - 24 1,243 15 9 19 1,279 10 ' 14 1,378 1,321 5 - 9 1,259 1,167 UNDER 5 YEARS 1,178 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 I: POPULATION IN HUNDREDS CITY TOTAL! 29,795 1941 75 "8 OVER 12+ MALE 162 70: 74 214 234 65 - 69 357 60 - 64 a61 55 - 59 1,161 SOURCE, DEPT. OF COW DVLP e 693 50 - 54 886 45 - 49 25 40 44 832 35 - 39 609 30 - 34 505 25 - 29 482 20 - 24 681 15 - 19 10-! 14 5 - 9 UNDER,5 YEARS 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 POPULATION IN HUNDREDS 1I1-5- 439 -1 674 596 627 758 FEMALE 1,142 1,066 5678910111213 CITY TOTAL: 21,619 4-8-76 i f 1 i 1I SECTION IV LAND USE PLAN FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO Section IV-Title Page SECTION IV LAND USE PLAN FOR THE CITY OF W EAT RIDGE, COLORADO TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I. GENERAL DISCUSSION 1 II. THE EXISTING SITUATION 1 A. Land Use 1 B. Zoning 2 C. Housing Densities 2 D. Natural Physical Settings 2 E. Air 7 F. Water 7 G. Natural Hazards B H. Sand and Gravel Deposits 9 III. NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING AREAS 11 A. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 1 11 B. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 2 12 C. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 3 13 D. Neighborhood Plannin.a Area No. 4 14 E. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 5 1s F. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 6 16 IV. THE LAND USE PLAN 18 A. Concepts 16 B. General Discussion 20 C. Land Use Category Description 22 D. Functions of the Plan 25 I LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 Generalized Existing Land Use 2, Figure 2 1975 Land Use 3 1 Figure 3 Generalized Existing Zoning 5 Figure 4 Population $ Housing Densities 6 Figure 5 Restricted Development Areas 10 Figure 6 Service Boundaries 19 Figure 7 Full Development Acreage within the Activity Centers 21 Figure g City of Wheat Ridge Future Land Use 23 i Section IV-Contents $ Figures Lists ,I . I r,. u GENERAL DISCUSSION Human activity shapes the development of a City. Likewise, development shapes or controls human activity. With properly planned uses and therefore, proper developmc- human activity can be guided within the City. A good transportation network is also one of the principal determinants that shape development as well as human activity. Therefore, the land use plan and transportation plan influence each other in respect to the future physical layout of a City as well as human interrelationships. One plan cannot function well without the other The existing condition of the City will be discussed briefly, followed by the descrip- tions of the six neighborhoods and the Land Use Plan. THE EXISTING SITUATION Land Use Figures 1 and 2 show the existing generalized land uses in the City. A high concentration of residential development is found in the eastern portion of the City. This is primarily due to the past trend of development involving the extension from Denver. High density residential, apartment type development, is found ❑:ainiy in the eastern part of the City, especially along West 38th Avenue between Sheridan and Wadsworth Boulevard. Apartment building has been increasing steadily west of Kipling Street. However, the majority of the housing stock in the City is single family. The location of commercial development has always been along the major thoroughfares such as along sections of West 38th and West 44th Avenues, Wadsworth Boulevard, Kiplin@ Street and Youngfieid Street. The main reason is that the development could be easily accessible by automobiles. Parking is usually in the front setback of the strip commercial development. Industrial development is found mainly north of Highway I-70 between. Kipling Street IV -1 w N c z z N X k LI.J m 6 J N n m T ~ Y m CV J ei EK E mY U W 0. m mL H •3 W d a m m a 00 C7 H m W m N 7 m N TV-2 WI W C7 0 IY K W F y 6 ~ W Z 6 y r F C+ M N V ~ v M y Y 0 C! M u y O! w F 6 r o! .O ~ ':Q U c U r U n u o U rv U u .O < ¢ w ¢ Cl ¢ < Q y < N N O1 VJ ae K \ J N M O y Q y N M U d 'O CI 1'J N N N N N .,.y 1 ty r w K m N O N.. U c n v y U U U I U U u ~ Q r r ry .C ~ M CJ O O O N Y VI .J w w N y b M n N M U r U M J U U U M U ° _ C C .O O N N ~ C1 V ll M N K N N C > ^1 H y V L1 M 4J N ow Gl U C u C U U M U t~ U N U . N< K < GAG NG G u c. o i• 0. O V O U K O E ~ N ^ M O V U g ine o ° a p G Q N Cl M M - M O r N •rl C. F Y O N > C. Ln K t1 C 0 N y U y U y u0 U •D U y U V N Ll O Of y 1.'1 1~ .ri ^1 M O ~O O y en y .E co Q w J c . m w E a o O U U Ln U O U w U N U w U 1-4 Ln In In 01 .1 p y O N N r r M r y y y r rq N K I Q M N M 00 K N K C E r r • M M . N .r y In u - i eta 1, ..e tl.^ M e} N r q N y F m O N y N y 171 rn rn r V Q U U O U m U U N O to < In CD `vJ ii co of \ Y 0 N O y n M M y N M w N M ~ (71 ~ y 00 U O O < 4l Of r N r N U C~ U •D U r U 10 O U M J c u c u ti c Y Y Y 0. O o° y r Q r N Q y r y O M K in Nl N 0 y in rho CJ C1 ? c. m r Q Q N y M C .O Of y d Q O M ~ 0 r. a w ~ 3 v > N > > x G N Itl V y r C ti Z .ti Y C) > d O Y A E7 E U W 0 w u H J 0 y 1V-•1 and Ward Road. This area can be reached by highways and railways easily. Light industry is the only industrial development permitted by the City's zoning ordinance Zoning: Figure 3 shows the existing generalized zoning in the city. Ideally, land use and zoning compliment each other. After the adoption of a Land Use Plan, all future zoning or rezoning should follow the general guidelines as pro- vided by the Plan, or the Plan appropriately amended. Otherwise, the Lard Use Plan will not influence or guide the decision necessary to insure that the future Wheat Ridge as envisioned in the Plan will be realized.. Housing Densities: According to the current Land Use Plan, adopted by the City Council in 1971, there ! are three residential density catagories. The maximum dwelling units for low density ! residential development is seven (7) per acre, for medium density is fourteen (14) per acre and for high density is twenty-one (21) per acres. i The City as a whole, at the end of 1975, had about 2.1 dwelling units per city acre, or about 4.3 dwelling units per residential acre. Figure 4 shows the population and housing densities in the City. Natural Physical. Settings: The City is located on a gently rolling topography. Clear Creek and Lena Gulch are i the dominant physical barriers within the City. Most of the land on both sides of these two barriers is subject to flooding. Accordingly, the Parks and Open Space Plan proposes to preserve the flood areas in their natural state. Air: The Denver Metro area has an air pollution problem, sometimes very severe. Four factors contribute to this problem: 1. The geographical setting of metro Denver. IV -4 ME ga 5 F a a U z z c~ F N \ ~ Z W Z 4 O V c~ . z z 0 N C7 Z Fr F N X W W N ¢a a W Z W P✓-5 W C 'n < rn b K rn N q z • vi v en T a z y ~u C C U < n O rn O n (A O N H N N .ti N F Z \ H p z q O M O V] Z C ~ M M N N M M M L1 0. N rv ~ rn o ~ m rn N C W \ C ~0 VI N M K • U N .ti H ^I .n r-1 r4 G O 6 C < M K O M N N ` N V q q ~O N 'O a 0 a c~ Z r m a N e . . F i N K O M N N N N N ti _ N q Ll N q W N N O O M M N .ti rn M O U M N ~O N M K ae' F< ~ G - r ~D N O ~O Q N C ( ( 2 W rn K K M O 00 N W C ~ D M K ~ N K VI < N y W C N M O G1 O M O N W 4~ VI ~-1 N M Ol M U K i~ M v7 .ti K G 'O O q rn ~ ti . + N Z N O n w \ N o V ~ K ti G O O q K q ..1 N UI O 1~ K ~C q `O n n ~o ~o M O N 4 W C7 4 yy < N M K N ~D F ~ C 6 G. OF IV-6 1 LLI LU C Ln C.. w c ct: co c 7 0 5 ~f d along the front range; 2. The continuation of urban sprawl; 3. High per capita auto ownership; and 4. High altitude location. Since the City of Wheat Ridge is part of the metro area, it has its fair share of air pollution problems. Sometimes, the air pollution hangs over the foothills as a grey blanket of smoke. In the long run, it will affect the general health of the people in the metro area. Wheat Ridge must attempt to alleviate its share of this air pollution problem. For example, in the Land Use Plan recommendations are made for the concentration of major activities and discourages most of strip commercial development. These proposals wil reduce many of the vehicular motor trips and, therefore, cause less air pollution. The Transportation Plan also recommends adequate buses and proper bus routes as well as other alternatives to minimize the usage of private automobiles. Water: The Denver Metropolitan area is situated on the Eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains with most of the precipitation falling on the Western Slope. This topographic locati,, puts Denver in the semi-arid region with annual precipitation of about 14 inches. In order to supply water to the metro population of 1.S million, a massive amount of j water has been tapped and transferred from the Western Slope to the Eastern slope. In most cases, as in the City of Wheat Ridge, there are special water districts, (21) that buy their water supply from the Denver Water Board. Because of this peculiar situation, there are different water taxation rates in different parts of the City. Also, this uncertainty of water supply places a major handicap on the overall develop- ment of the metro area as well as the City. A unification of all the water and sanitation districts could have the following advantages: 1. Water and sanitation services could be used as a regulatory too in controlling' the development of the City. 2. Duplication of effort could be avoided. 3. In general, the level of service could be standardized and improved. IV-7 Natural llnzards: There are three main hazard areas which could affect the lives and properties of the citizens in the City. The three areas include the streams and their steep slope areas and areas with expansive soil conditions. Figure 5 shows the general locations of these areas as well as the areas within the City that contain sand and gravel deposits. Flood Plain - The definition of a flood plain is "the relatively flat or low land area adjoining a river, stream, water course, lake or other body of standing water which has been or may be covered temporarily by flood water." For administrative purposes, the flood plain may be defined as the area that would be inundated by the 100-year flood. The City has two streams, Clear Creek and Lena Gulch, which run diagonally across the City, that have great flooding potential. It is suggested in the Parks and Open Space Plan that the flood plains should be devoted to greenbelt and open space. Normal development is permitted if such structures are built two feet above the elevation of a 100-year flood. Rocky Mountain Ditch which is not included in a flood plain, may cause temporary floods at high runoff periods or if the ditch is blocked. Slope - Slopes in excess of 10% may cause potential problems to any develop- ment that is not designed accordingly. Steep slopes cause high velocity water runoff and, therefore, cause excessive erosion. Steep slopes of more than 10% are shown in Figure 5. They are located mostly on the south bank of Clear Creek and many of these areas are already developed. Soil - The soils in Wheat Ridge are mainly alluvial deposits from the ancient stream flows. The major compositions of the soils are sand, silt, clay and gravel. The one single soil that capses the most danger to the development IV_g is swelling clay. It has the characteristic of expanding when wet and the more absorbent the clay is, the more expansive quality the soil has. As Figure 5 shows, this kind of swelling clay is found mainly south of Clear Creek. When building on this kind of soil, special construction techniques must be applied so as to alleviate many of the potential problems. Sand and Gravel Deposits: Figure 5 also shows the general location of commercial sand and gravel deposits in the City. According to Colorado House Bill 1529, these areas may not be allowed to develop until such commercial resources have been extracted. As mentioned in "A Master Plan for the Extraction of Sand and Gravel Resources", City of Wheat Ridge, Colorado, "Should the commerciality of the deposit be established... the City Council shall not approve any rezoning, subdivision or other use of the land which would interfere with the extraction of the deposit until the resource deposit has been removed." The map clearly shows that these commercial deposits are found mainly on the western portion of the City where vacant land still exists. Under these guidelines, the pace of future development within the City hinges to a great extent on the pace of the commercial deposit extraction. IV_9 laaalS UEIJUH laaalS aDaac, PAH Usp?aayS . .e . u v b GO N M M b N L'.l; > 0 v v •w C M 0 m N W m .m. u laaalS UOSSSavq n laaalS 8u?Zd?~ f IV-10 ' O Ob Fv ~i d M 0 O C M G d u. w~ Fh N m a a m (q w uS u! M V `l (n Q w z H z w 0 w w a Q w v w C4 s N w C NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING AREAS The City has six neighborhood planning areas. The boundaries of the areas either fall exactly as the boundaries of census tracts, or a combination of parts of several tracts. Each neighborhood is discussed briefly in terms of location, area, population and land use in the following pages. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 1 N e N 0 N ti F M L IV-11 . Location: Between Garrison Street and Ward Road from north of I-70 to City limit Area: 647.3 acres Population: 1970 Census- 367 1975 (est.) - 1504 Land Use (Existing as of December, 197S): A. Summary By Type - Agriculture/Vacant - 329.9 acres; Park - 2.5 acres; Single-family - 48.7 acres; Multi-family - 20.9 acres; Commercial - 24 acres; Industrical - 73.8 acres; Public/Semi-public and roads - 150 acres. B. Housing and Environment - There was a big increase of housing units from 76 units in 1970 to 479 units in 1975. This is due to the apartment com- plexes built east of Kipling Street. About half of the lard in this neigh- borhood is either agricultural or vacant. Park area and landscaping are practically nil. Neighborhood Plannin,_Area No. 2 IV-12 Location: Between Clear Creek and I-70 Area: 1,015 acres Population: 1970 Census - 4,066 1975 (est.) - 6,507 Land Use (Existing as of December, 1975): A. Summary By Type - Agricultural/vacant - 299 acres; Park - 84.5 acres; Single-family - 233.4 acres; Multi-family - 110.8 acres; Commercial - 44.8 acres. Industrial - 37.8 acres; Public/Semi-public and roads - 204.7 acres. B. Housing and Environment - The housing units here vary from single family to duplex to apartments. Like Neighborhood No. 1, the housing units had a jump from 1,223 units in 1970 to 2,087 units in 1975. Again, the increase is due to the apartment complexes. The housing density is about 2.1 units per gross acre. About 29.5 of the land here is still agricultural or vacant. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 3 IV-13 Location: Between Sheridan and Wadsworth Boulevards from West 38th Avenue to north City limit Area: 871.9 acres Population: 1970 Census = 6,948 1975 (est.) - 7,002 Land Use (Existing as of December, 1975): A. Summary By Type - Agricultural/Vacant - 86 acres; Park 3.9 acres; Single- family - 411.9 acres; Multi-family - 52.1 acres; Commercial - 76.9 acres; Industrial - 23.2 acres; Public/Semi-public and roads - 217.9 acres. B. Dousing and Environment - About half of the land in this area is utilized ' for single family development. From 1970 to 1975, there were only 19 new housing units making a total of 2,595 units. This makes the housing density 3.0 units per acre, the highest among the six neighborhoods. This neighborhood has been well developed for a long time. There is practically no vacant land existing. The majority of the housing stock here is low to medium value. It is a homogeneous and stable neighborhood. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 4 IV-14 Location: Between Sheridan Boulevard and Wadsworth Boulevard from West 26th Avenue to West 38th Avenue Area: 932 acres Population: 1970 Census = 7,033 1975 (est.) = 7,743 Land Use (Existing as of December 1975): A. Summary By Type - Agriculture/Vacant - 57 acres; Park - 10.9 acres; single-family - 512.2 acres; Multi-family - 101.4 acres; Commercial - 15.8 acres; Industrial - 1.3 acres; Public/Semi-public and roads - 232.4 acres. B Housing and Environment- About SSo of the land is utilized for single family and 11% for multi-family development. The total housing units in this neigh- borhood'is 2,118 which is the largest in number among the six neighborhoods. Nearly one-fourth the housing here is 35 years old and over. Blighted housing conditions are scattered among the neighborhood, rather than concentrated in one area. Like Neighborhood No. 3, the housing units in this reighborlicod are mainly low to medium value. It has the lowest percentage of vacant land,(6. W amon Neighborhood Planni Location: Between Wadsworth Boulevard and Kipling Street from West 32nd Avenue to Clear Creek Area: 1,063.3 acres Population: 1970 Census = 5,895 1975 (est.) = 6,481 Land Use (E)(isting as of December, 1975): A. Summary By Type - Agricultural/vacant - 187.4 acres; Park - 18 acres; Single-family - 491.6 acres; multi-family - 58.8 acres; Commercial - 33.8 acres; Industrial - 1.9 acres; Public/Semi-public and raods 271.8 acres. B. Housing and Environment - Within the past five years, the housing units increased from 1,939 units to 2,145 units. About three-fourths of the housing units are owner occupied and belong to medium and high housing value brackets. The housing here is predominantly single-family and well landscaped. This is a stable and homogeneous neighborhood. Neighborhood Planning Area No. 6 I t. IV -16 Location: Between Kipling Street and Youngfield Strect from West 26th Avenue to Clear Creek. Area: 1,219 acres Population: 1970 Census = 5,561 1975 (est.) = 6,644 Land Use (Existing as of December, 1975): A. Summary By Type - Agricultural/vacant - 412.5 acres; Parks - 9.9 acres; Single-family - 435.4 acres; Multi-family - 42.8 acres; Commercial - 48.7 acres; Industrial - 0.5 acres; Public/Semi-public and roads - 269.2 acres. B. Housing and Environment - This neighborhood is the largest by acreage. It also has the highest occupancy rate of 3.3 persons per housing unit. From 1970 to 1975, the housing units jumped from 1,647 units to 2,020 units. Except Planning Area No. 1, this area has the lowest land area used for multi- family. Majority of the houses here are 10 years old or under and belung, to the medium and high value brackets. The area is very stable and homo- geneous. IV _.17 THE LAND USE PLAN Concepts: The Land Use Plan concept calls for the development of three planned commercial centers for the city. Each center will provide a variety of the needed goods and services with easy access from the neighborhood in which it is located. Instead of providing a collection of activities with no direct interactions, and separated by parking lots and other barriers, these centers will be designed to give a sense of wholeness. Each center will accommodate a diversification or blend of activities. Each activity would be a compliment and therefore a con- tribution to all other activities. These centers could be approached easily by automobiles along the major arterials. However, within these centers, circulation would be restricted to pedestrian scale with well-landscaped malls and sidewalks. Activities in each center would include retail trade, offices, service establishments, restuarants, recreational and amusement establishments, and public transportation stations. Mediun and high density residences could be integrated into the center or appropriately located cn the fringes of these activity centers. The proposed planned commercial centers are to be located: 1. Along Wadsworth Boulevard between approximately W. 38th Avenue and 4~,. Aven, This center would serve the community generally described as south of.Clear Cre- and East of Dover Street. 2. In the vicinity of Applewood Shopping Center, located at West 32nd Avenue and Youngfield Street. This center would serve the community south of Clear Creek and west of Kipling. 3. In the vicinity of Kipling Street between Clear Creek and Highway I-70. This center would serve roughly the northern portion of the City. There is still quite a lot of vacant land here for all types of development. Figure 6 shows the service area boundary for each center. i IV -18 L L ~ M N M • pA19 uapTaagS4* 1 1 ®I I 1 TAT ° a 0 I®1 I1I e ;aas;S uB12EH i s _ ;aa.x;S aOxatd a ■ I®1®1111 'PATH q;iOMSpEM r ` - - ■ \A ® - \ ® ';S sanod •;S oLPn~ C \ I I®1®1®i F o ® c a z ° r H F ;aa1;3 LLOSiSSE~ ® a a a z o - 0w 0 0 i ® _ I~IQ 'lI,r ;aaa;S SUTTdiT( ~ U 0 ® ceea q®~ ®e a e _ \ ®e ea a la3ied ® eme meeae■® ■ . ylaas aogE.L e m e .de PEON pium't.,.. ® N w t.O LLJ cm Ln ~ ~ w LLI i i IV -19- To insure that each center will provide a well-balanced land use, and that all the activities support each other, the land use ratio as shown in Figure 7 are recommended. Although this is a sound concept, one disadvantage is that it requires a lot of cooperation from developers, businessmen and the City for success. The,Land Use Plan is based upon this concept, it is quite important that all parties,involved begin in the near future to open dialogue and plan strategies that best suit the desires and needs of all concerned. General Discussion, A land use plan is a plan showing the proposed general location and extent of I housing, business, industry, recreation and other catagories of public and private uses of land, and contains the recommended policies and standards of population density and building intensity. The plan has the function of determining the optimum size of growth of a city in terms of economic development, employment f and population. The attached Future Land Use Map gives a general guideline to show the dis- tribution of various land uses throughout the city. The land uses are distributed in such a way as to be well-balanced and in harmony with each other. Besides the map, there are principles and reasoning to support such a proposal. They will be discussed later. There are seven land use catagories in the Future Land Use Map: ~ 1. Residential (low, medium and high density) 2. Neighborhood Commercial (service and convenience retail) 3. Multiple use area (commercial, residential, public and semi-public, parks and open space and industrial) 4. Commercial Center iv- 20 a ~ 1 ' Q n ~ i P I F -i V I 0 p . M ;1, rn O~ rn n n co n M M M M H a G Q W H 7 U U W ~ O M H H Q , .aa a o 0o M m p [n n •7 ~ M 0. 0. C n N ~p Cq a • Q U N M O h 0 F U N O NC} ~ U F i o M M M M M M M M ~ W H N V C O~ M CG U M N M ~(J W Q rV M ~ y H ' a° e a° p~ N W m n ao n n H r1 r-I H C7 Z . v o 10 O a cn m . O £-i W M o O O U M N O ~ H Q~ O O e\° r-1 H ^'I I r'i H d 7 Q is n ~O M ~ U W ...r N H M to r W I •.i M b a z v s a c C C LtJ C_ U W .D C95 9' i1~2 LL J ~J J L.L IV-21 5. Public and Semi-public 6. Parks and Open Space 7. Industrial It should be noted U:at the various land uses do not have specific boundaries, rather, they are general and in schematic form to allow flexibility for future development. The exact boundary for each land use type will be determined by zoning action. This will allow flexibility in meeting the changing needs and desires of the city. Under these circumstances, all the land use categories might encompass more or less area than the map shows. However, the general locations of all the land use categories are fixed. Figure 3 shows the general Future Land Use categories by acres and by neighborhood of the city. It is assumed that all public facilities and utilities are adequate enough to provide services for the developing land uses. Otherwise, development and redevelopment will not be permitted. It is also the assumption of the Plan that leap-frog development will not be permitted. The development priorities will be set l-y the Planning Commission and City Council according to the needs and desires of the city in the future. Land Use Category Description The following land use category description explains the kind of uses in each 1 category. 1. Residential This category includes all structures or establishments for permanent residence including private household units, both c:::ier and renter occupied, grouped according to the pm-4 „r family units in the residence; group quarters or resident institutions for permanent non-family occupancy l in which lodging accommodations are provided with or without meals; and IV-22 S fZ' c f u w F N ti I-' rt O a0 O. ti r+ vl Q C V ~ q 4 4 6 O 6 N N O a a' o Y G 5 ` p O F o N ~ U m Q 6 O 6 O < O 4 V O C _ h V i M 4 4 ~4} < < .n < ^ U ^ < a~- ti ~ 4 < 4 y O G C O ~ y y Q om. e N p L L_ G ~ Q p 4 < ^ < U C] O O O O J M G O J) N a ti .1 G K •J O C O Q O Q 6 4 > c O C: )r p n V < Q < 4 O 4 4 4 V' N GN m 5 u 0' QV < 6 ~ 4 N m cv~ m o N N O „ N ~ N m J `p G ~V Y s V ~ 6 m/ N N M n N M \ \I G_'^I K V _ 1 (V-23 mobile homes or mobile home Farks of a permanent nature. a) low density residential, 0 - 7 units per acre b) medium density residential, 8 - 14 units per acre c) high density residential, 15 - 21 units per acre 2. Commercial a) Convenience Goods - This category includes those items for which primary factors relating to purchase is simply "convenience', i.e. proximity to consumer and ease of use of facility, not items for which typical con- sumers will usually examine several products at various establishments. b) Shopping Goods - This category consists of those items for which the average consumer usually shops at different establishments comparing particulrly such factors as pricing, products and identification. c) Services - This category includes the retail sale of goods. Included in services are hotels, motels, tourist courts, trailer camps, personal service, business service, auto repair and miscellaneous repair service, amusement and recreation services including theaters, dental laboratories, legal service and architectual engineering and survey services. Neighborhood services range from barber/beauty shops to medical offices and attorneys. d) Neighborhood Commercial - This category is restricted mainly to service and convenience commercial development. 3. Multiple Use Area This category includes all kinds of land uses provided that these uses do not cause adverse effect to the adjacent development. 4. Commercial Center This category is a planned activity center for all commercial uses but pri- marily for shopping podsand medium to high residential development in or on the fringes of the center. IV -24 S. Public and Semi- ubli_c This category includes establishments and operations which are financed by•public funds and operated as part of the governmental function; and uses which are operated by private individuals or institutions for a public pur- pose, but with limited public control or accessibility. Included are all cultural, educational, medical, protective and correctional facilities, cemeteries, and military installations. 6. Parks and Open Space This category consists of two distinct sections. One represents relatively small developed sites and/or an intensive use of the land, and consists of both indoor and outdoor recreation facilities such as stadiums, coliseums, gymnasiums, race tracks and tennis courts. The second group is composed of open areas such as parks, playfields, golf course, and campgrounds. This category also includes all undeveloped forest land or flood plain whether pub- licly or privately owned. 7. Industrial This category includes facilities and activities associated with the surface and subsurface mining of metals, minerals and coal and crude petro- leum and natural gas extraction; establishments engaged in the initial pro- cessing or treatment of raw materials and the primary manufacturing of products i which require additional processing; establishments engaged in the manufacturing of metal and non-metal products for final utilization or consumption; whole- i sale activities with associated warehousing or storage facilities; separately identified warehousing and open storage facilities related to manufacturing, transportation, retail trade and other activities; and establishments and facilities associated with general and special trade contractors' services. Functions of the Plan The Land Use Plan has the function of rectifying existing shortcomings of the TV-25' city. For example: 1. Many of the existing land uses are not in harmony with each other. There are commercial developments adjacent to residential developments, and there are automobiles pulling in and out of the major streets to the front setbacks of strip commercial operations. The plan calls for landscaping acting as a buffer between different land uses. Also, it provided three activity centers so as to localize most of the new commercial developments. This is the best method of eliminating some of the traffic congestion and accidents along the strip commercial developments. 2. The Plan recommends landscaping along the major arterials as well as other streets. This will definitely improve the environment of the City. 3. According to the 1970 Census, about 600 of the citizens were working outside Jefferson County. Also, about 95% of the people used their private auto- . mobiles to go to work. The Plan provides sufficient commercial and indus- trial land uses so as to generate more establishments within the City. This in turn, would generate more jobs. In addition, the Plan also provides for medium and high density residential development in conjunction with three activity centers. Under these circumstances, in the future 15-20 years, most of the citizens, hopefully, would live and work and shop within the city, which in addition to providing greater convenience, will have a great deal of influence on lessening the dependency on the private automobile and therefore decreasing the traffic congestion and overall numbers of vehicles using the i. streets. Furthermore, the City's tax base will be increased to the point where the city will be able provide a full range of excellent services to all of the city's residents. Iv -26 SECTION V TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO Section V-Title Page SECTION V TRANSPORTATION PLAN FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO TABLE OF CONTENTS STREET, AIR, RAIL AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION SUBSECTION I General Discussion 1 II The Existing Situation 2 A. Street Right-of-Way and Pavement Widths 2 B. Sidewalk, Curb and Gutter 5 C. Unpaved Streets 5 D. Automobile Registration 8 I E. Traffic Signalization 8 F. Existing Traffic Volumes 11 G. Projected Traffic Volumes 11 j H. Traffic Accidents 15 III I` Street Classification and Standards 20 i IV Transportation Facilities A. Air 27 ' B. Railway 27 j C. Highway 27 D. Public Transportation 27 BIKEWAY SUBSECTION ( I. Introduction 30 II. Bikeway Plan 34 A. Design 36 ' B. Classification of Bikeways 37 III Bike Support System 38 A. Multi Modal Transportation System 38 B. Bike Parking 39 i' Section V-Contents C. Traffic Safety Program 39 IV Bikeway Maintenance 39 V Bikeway Funding 40 VI Bicycle Safety Rules 41 Section V-Contents (continued) SECTION V LIST OF FIGURES PAGE Figure 1 Existing Street Right-of-Ways 3 Figure 2 Existing Pavement Widths 4 Figure 3 A East-West Streets Lacking Curb, Gutter and Sidewalk 6 Figure 3 B East-West Streets Lacking Curb, Gutter and Sidewalk 7 Figure 4 Unpaved Streets 9 Figure 5 Traffic Signalization 10 Figure 6 1971 Annual Average Weekday Traffic 12 Figure 7 1975 Annual Average Weekday Traffic 13 Figure 8 Projected Traffic Volume - Year 2000 14 Figure 9 Traffic Accidents, 1972 16 Figure 10 Traffic Accidents, 1973 17 Figure 11 Traffic Accidents, 1974 18 Figure 12 Monthly Accidents, 1974 19 Figure 13 Existing Highways 22 Figure 14 Street Design Standards 25 Figure 1.4a Intersection Design Standards 25a Figure 15 Major Street Plan 26 Figure 16 Wheat Ridge Bus, ART Routes 29 Figure 17 Examples of Street Designs for Bikeways . 43 Figure 18 Bikeways, Design Alternatives 45 Figure 19 Bikeway Plan 47 Figure 20 Bikeway Signs 48 Section V - Figures List I GENERAL DISCUSSION Besides providing movement of people and goods, a transportation network can also affect land use and therefore urban form. The major streets of the City are basically in a "grid-iron" pattern. Within these major grids, there are local streets, curved streets and cul-de- sacs. These local streets serve the traffic generated from the neighborhoods and feed the local traffic into the major streets. ThE: major streets that run east and west across the City are 26th Avenue, 32nd Avenue, 38th Avenue, 44th Avenue and Highway I-70 . They are roughly one-half mile apart. Twenty-sixth and 38th Avenues terminate at the west side of the City limits while 32nd and 44th Avenues have access to Denver on the east and Golden and the foothills on the west. The major streets that run north and south across the City are Sheridan Boulevard, Wadsworth Boulevard, Kipling Street and Youngfield Street. They are about one and one half miles apart. Both Sheridan and Wadsworth Boulevards give access to the entire metropolitan area, in a north-south direction. Parking in the residential districts is usually along both sides of local streets in the older sections of the City, while off-street or in garages in the newer sections. Under the provisions of the Zoning Ordinance, the City requires all new developments to provide off-street parking. Mercury-vapor lighting is provided at most of the block cornersand in some f mid-blocks. It is the general opinion of the citizens that adequate street lighting is needed to ensure general safety, security and convenience, especially in the residential districts. According to the 1970 Census, there were 12,335 workers who used some sort of V -I transportation to go to work. The break down is as follows: 11,673 workers (95%) used private autorobiles, 370 workers (3%) used public transit and 292 workers (2%) walked. (This data did not include those who worked at-home.) II A. Also, according to the 1970 Census, there were 6,420 workers (49%) working in Denver, 4,860 workers (37%) working within Jefferson County, 1,037 workers (8%) working in other counties within the Denver SMSA, and 742 (6%) working outside the Denver SMSA or not reported. (estimated from the certificates of occupancy). Assuming that one-third of Between 1970 and. 1975, there was roughly an increase of 6,100 people in the City, these poeple are in the work force, this amounts to an increase of about 2,000 workers. THE EXISTING SITUATION Street Right-of-Way and Pavement Widths There are no detailed records of the precise street right-of-way (ROW) width and pavement width in the City. In some sections of the City, the right-of-ways have not been dedicated to the City by the property owners. A thorough study is needed to survey and record the actual right-of-way width of every street in the City. The existing Street Right-of-Way Map, as seen in Figure 1, was prepared by making use of the Quarter-Section Maps; while the existing Street Pavement Width Map was, prepared from information of aerial photos supplemented by field survey (Figure 2), Both of the maps give only a general indication since there are errors in the Quarter-Section Maps and aerial photos are not accurate enough to give the exact measurements. Generally speaking, the right-of-way widths for local streets in the City are less than 50 feet and for major streets range from 50-80 feet . The pavement V -2 .PATH uePiaays 1 w ' v a AmI" laaals uETaull 1 L~ laaals aoaald 'PATS 43aoaspEM f n loalls ItOSSSSE~ ■Mfltlf 1 1.~ 1 laaals BuildTM . Imp e,mss.m srmem t 'O .C N C „ pp N .D Ipi e -MIMI e ■ WK tu- LL y WE I LL K by z FQ I. W.. W [ _ n WWL w W X W p pp ~1111D Sanoa IMP ■ 7 lelii 1 PEO-d Paum i 1 /41111.-L®1 C71 Emu,,, gy m. PT0t4~u'10,k V-3 3aaxiS ustxeF~ 1 L' ;aax;s a~xaTd Z 'PATS gixoMSpaM 4 ;aaxiS UOSTJavg gmmt 1 IN; ;aaxiS BuTTdu :0 NMI INNIONSIMEW •pATg uspTaags ; e v PEoN Paul V-4 N W M N ~ M N 2 1 Q i ? f Z W> w o Lli LL W N W ¢ WO O W-T m LL Z M F- F o _ w w F - W LL LL ~ Z O O X M LL! I Ii I. 1 widths for local streets roughly range from 20 feet to 30 feet and for major streets from 30 feet to 50 feet. 6. Sidewalk. Curb and Gutter The citizens generally desire adequate sidewalks, especially in the residential districts and along the busy streets. Providing sidewalks will increase the general safety of the scF.ool children and other pedestrians. Moreover, side- walks tend to generate closer social interaction within a neighborhood. Currently, there are not many sidewalks except in the new subdivisions. In many cases, the existing sidewalks are only about three feet wide next to the busy traffic lanes, for example, those along Kipling between West 38th and West 44th Avenues, and West 38th Avenue between Wadsworth and Kipling. The provision of curb and gutter, like sidewalks, is inadequate in the City. In due course, this usually creates drainage problems even with a small amount of precipitation. Also, the pavement wears out at a much faster-rate because of poor surface run-off. Figures 3A tc 3D show the streets lacking sidewalk, and curb and gutter in the j City. They were prepared by making use of the aerial photographs and were sup- plemented by occasional field checks if deemed necessary. Detailed descriptions i of these streets can be seen in the appendix. C. Unpaved Streets As of January, 1975, there were about 11 miles of unpaved streets out of a total I of 131 street miles in the City. The breakdown of the street mileage is: 1 120.35 miles of asphalt (91.8%), 7.08 miles of gravel (5.40) and 3.63 miles undeveloped (2.8%). i The unpaved streets are covered with gravel in developed areas and dirt in undeveloped areas. V-5 14S •pn qS uo '~S 2uitdzg V-6 Y J Q 3 w o H w w ~ ~ w M U) L~ v r 7 ~w W i~ m I~ 'Q U w C9 2 Y U a 0 i Q « 0 i ro 41 ~i 41 ~ ~ N 4S 4s Ouzta-cx m M d 7 LL O W W cr LN r_ O N_ O Z Y J Q W 0 N co cr w LFF- r m U O Z Y U Q J Q N V-7 1~ rd Ici 41 o~ N ~O m M N Again, the Unpaved Streets Map, as seen in Figure 4, was prepared from aerial photographs aided by field study. Detailed descriptions of unpaved streets can be seen in the appendix. D. Automobile Registration There has been a continuing in crease of auto owners hip in the City. According to the Jefferson County Motor Vehicle Registration, the City's auto registration records are as follows: JEFFERSON COUNTY WHEAT RIDGE WHEAT RIDGE PASSENGER PASSENGER AUTO PASSENGER AU TO ESTIMATED CAR PER YEAR REGISTRATION REGISTRATION o JEFFERSON CO. POPULATION CAPITA 1970 133,193 22,998 17.27 29,795 .77 1971 144,827 24,319 16.79 31.320 .78 1972 159,488 26,189 16.42 32,511 .81 1973 172,985 27,016 15.62 34,470 .78 1974 181,313 27,311 15.06 35,781 .76 According to the 1970 Census, 20,609 people in the City were 1 8 years old and over. The auto registration in 1970 was 22,998. In this case, the cars per capita of those people 18 years old and over was 1.12. E. Traffic Signalization Traffic signals located at proper intersections will provide general safety both for automobiles and pedestrians. They also have the effect of checking the speed of careless drivers. Signals, such as for intersection controls, mid-block pedestrian and fire control are found mainly along West 32nd Avenue, 38th Avenue, 44th Avenue, Harlan Street, Pierce Street, Sheridan Boulevard, Wadsworth Boulevard and Kipling Street. The location of all traffic signals in the City can be seen in Figure S. V -8 I q p ,s uc 4s vuTzazx co m N (n Lf) H r - w 0) W - m T VI O o C w W a o ~ a N 0 V-9 0 N LL CL V-10 In the residential areas, stop signs are used to regulate the flow of traffic at the intersections. There are very few pedestrian and automatically controlled intersection signals. The locations of such signals should be carefully examined and signals be provided adequately. This is especially needed at the intersections between local streets and major streets. F• Existing Traffic Volumes Traffic counts have the function of delineating volumes of daily traffic on the streets. By assigning these traffic counts or volumes to the traffic lanes, plus other traffic factors, a traffic engineer can calculate the traffic capacity of the streets. Also, traffic volumes can be projected into the future. Such a projection will definitely help the decision makers to handle future traffic problems well in advance. Figures 6 and 7 show the average weekday traffic of 1971 and 1975 respectively. Generally speaking, there was a decrease in traffic volumes in the eastern half of the City from 1971 to 1975. Conversely, there was an increase in traffic volumes in the western half of the City within the same period. Also, generally speaking, in both 1971 and 1975, Wadsworth carried the heaviest traffic, then Kipling Street, Sheridan Boulevard, 44th Avenue, 38th Avenue, Youngfield Street, 26th Avenue, and 32nd Avenue in a descending order. The traffic along Wadsworth Boulevard is mostly cross-town in nature, while Kipling Street is heavily used by the local citizens. G. Projected Traffic Volumes 'rho Projected Traffic Volume - Year 2000 Nap (Figure 8) was prepared by the joint effort of State Highway Department, Denver Regional Council of Governments and Regional Transportation District. The projection was based on the existing j traffic and land use pattern, income level, trip generation and other socio- economic factors. It is also based on proposed streets and highways. Any V -11 r ; Y 9 L V O M tC H V N ' PALS uepua4S ~ _ c dJ o M ° v A N a ;aaz1S ueIzeH ° cc o I v ' i - o ° 0 o ' A ~ ~ o M o O fv O OA ~O O 1 N ~ 41 'P^I9 43nonspeM o o c > ~ o a ` ri v ~ M O C O 1~ M M N y ~ y q Y w W o. W '1S zanoU ~1S ^aLPnU V o ~ Q 0 0 N A ° M 1 w c W u M _ ¢ w 480S1S LLOsTlav!,J A ¢ N o O o ~ N - O O A O O M M O O N O M h O O 1~ O N Z ~ ~ ~N N U A N N I~ 3 ;aaS;S Su IdiM m O o ! ti . O d U O O r oA O° .p ti N M C A N O ti , -4S la;ied A 1aa33S SOQeJ, y o O v+ M b O 1~ b O A u] O N O O O O O V O M O 1 Peon pxeM o a rn N .uno) a A j P [ , V-12 j i i Y. f f G T i 1aax3S uEIxEH 1aax1S a~xala Z 'PAIR laaxiS uoslxxE'J a'- 1 u. o o m 1aax1S 2uildI71 rru-~- C r 3S la3xEc o M' 1aax1S xc ' o 0 p~ N M M -PAIR uePixayS - c M .C O 1+ V O sT ' N M y 0 O ew W N MAAN o ~1 O O N -ti 0 N 0 0 0 0/' O N e V ~O M N M 'i n 11 m r m 3 X 6p •M 5 w O G d E N H d D d h ii w 0 y .y N V-13 f i i 3aas15 u?ISEH 1 1 39aalS aOSa -di yob 1. 1 'PAID yllOMSPUM 3aa31S IIOSSSaug 1 1 laa.c3S BuSjd?~ r'°' Iv~v~viv~ 1 v~ ooZ, v ~ v, ' 35 lad 1 1 3aaiv, 1 .P^le ucPSl,yti 1 ooe'ol V-14 L b L 181£ 6 ~ °I u u o. o N CV m h K ~ 3 Q W U L F W ~ L W W W ~ F v ao J ~ t. 7 pd U L LL LL Q u O C r ~ = L O ~ W c O F ~ U 9 V r c c; ■ YI®~~ I i i P k 1 pi I I i new streets and highways will affect the future traffic volumes on the existing routes. A change in any of the factors and proposals will change the traffic projection. Two new corridors have been proposed. One is the Kipling By-pass which will have the effect of decreasing the existing Kipling Street traffic by about 30- 40%. The other is the Simms Street By-pass which also will have the effect of decreasing the general traffic on the streets west of Kipling. Both of these pro- posals have been rejected by the City, and therefore, this plan must conclude that these proposals are not feasible. By comparing the traffic volumes of 1971, 1975 and 2000, one will notice that l there are few marked increases or decreases in traffic volumes in the city streets. Generally speaking, there is a noticeable decrease in traffic in the vicinity of Kipling and Simms Street By-passes. On the other hand, there is a significant increase in traffic on the State and United States Highways. The traffic projection for the year 2000 is a very general guideline and should not be taken as exact. Any figure should not be singled out or taken out of context. It is also emphasized that these figures are not necessarily the figures that were used by the City to develop the Major Thoroughfare Plan. H. Traffic Accidents Traffic volumes, capacity, width of streets, signalization, street intersections, the parking situation, lighting and pedestrians are the main factors affecting traffic accidents. Figures 9, 10, 11 and 12 show the traffic accidents that occurred in the City during 1972, 1973 and 1974. It is easy to recognize that most of the accidents happened along the major streets, especially at the major intersections. Many r V_ 15 0 M fV M M 'PATS uEPTxag3 rn a e 40013S UVTxEH A i 3aax3S aaxaT` Z 1 'PATS gZJOMSPeM 300x3S UOSTI'VD ni 3aax3S 2aTTdT71 1 1 _ ■ _ ■ '3S 1a;xed 3aax3S xogvl M_ Paob PxEM M T-? .w Y - 3S r. N i■_tPI V-I6 .w N I ~aN °A -e■my ,r..y A .-M 1 A N .-1 Of Z N w O F ~ A ~ U U r w U LL LL .ZL N 1 iV A U T U Bt m■tiD [L G a F Y W b v w y U H ~O A 9\ e t 9 9 0 3 1 } 7 I!ji 1 p~ N M M 1aaa1S UUTIVH 1 L1 109a1S a~aatd •PAJU uepuagS - 1 1 'PAi9 g12OMSPE1A p` laaalS UOSSaaED _ 1 1 laaalS BuzTd?x 0 1 r 1 mIMOM . •3S 1a;aEd -M.m.m.= 1 lemon 1 laaalS aogey 1 1 PEOy PaEM e / •1S aanop 'lS alPna e Q v °e 1 gr g 1 1 1 s M n Q~ r-I N o ~ y Z W v A H m U „y U w U_ W LL- F-- e 1 w U almoner u az z a c F- N W w mom 1 y W A J 0 z a s V-17 'PATH UEPTlagS Y C N O 30214S UVTJvH A `e f 38a14S 0010 Td ti to 'PATH g41OMSPUM ! v .C ~ ~y N M M 1 A J N rn 1S l0a13S UOSTIZV9 • 1 11~ 1 laas3S SuildTX 1 I 1 I I 1 . ~I S1 1 memo '3S la: :momlmIm I 1 laaiy 1 1 PEOH Plum U F N d U .y n V-18 m u N 'o 1 ■I Move L 1 i s a rn F- z w m q 7 U eo U N r [ U_ U- w -cr z F- 0 I 0 a 1N 1 .r ~ W A U m y C~ W N Oa y Z d Q b d ~ d ~ N W O ~ w .I. ~ a 1 w L1 1 ~ J U i = s 1 . tl e i 1 j1 3 a 1 I ' I i 130 120 z 110 W 0 U U a100 U. O 0 z 90 80 70 J ' s6 ACCI DENTS °F°a S•5 prArgr d`r py •L 1 INJURIES : F M A M J J A S O N MONTH Figure 12 MONTHLY ACCIDENTS 1974 30 N H z w 20 U U a } d' 7 z 10 0 z 0 D V -19 I of the accidents could be avoided by improving the existing street design standards. III STREET CLASSIFICATION AND STANDARDS STREET FUNCTIONAL CLASSIFICATIONS - Street classification decisions should be based on the amount and kind of traffic and the surrounding land use which a street serves. In addition to the existing conditions, one should also consider the traffic projections in the future 10-25 years. Transportation planning is mainly prospective and not primarily for the present. The amount of traffic is usually measured in terms of Average Daily Traffic (ADT). ADT is the average total number of vehicles passing a street or route on a typical day. There are three kinds of street classifications in the City. They are local, col- lector and arterial. streets. Their functions are as follows (based mainly on Denver Regional Council of Governments' Standards): Local Streets: The local street system serves primarily to provide direct access to adjacent property and access to higher order of streets. Local streets may I serve residential (both low and high density), minor commercial and industrial land use. It offers the lowest level of mobility and normally should not contain bus routes. All traffic carried by local streets should have an origin or a destination within the neighborhood. Traffic capacity should not be a deciding factor for local street design standards in residential neighborhoods. The reasons are the desired low traffic speeds and short travel distance from residences to collector streets. Collector Streets: The Collector Street System, unlike the arterial system, penetrates neighborhoods. It is the principal traffic artery within residential V -20 areas. The system collects and distributes traffic between major arterial and local streets. It also serves as a main connector within communities, linking one neighborhood with another, or one industrial district with another. It has the potential for supporting minor commercial establishments along its routes. Some bus routes should be provided to serve the surrounding land use. All traffic carried by collector streets should have an origin or a destination within the community. Arterial Streets: The Arterial Street System interconnects highways and com- munities. It provides high potential for the location of industrial land uses. It also permits rapid and relatively unimpeded traffic movement through the City. I~ Bus routes should be provided to serve the surrounding intensive land uses and to furnish intra-community continuity. Arterial streets should not penetrate iden- tifiable neighborhoods. Besides the above three street classifications, there are, of course, interstate and state highways in the City as shown in Figure 13. However, such highways are not within the jurisdiction of the City and will not be discussed here. STREET DESIGN STANDARDS The following street design standards are based partially from the Physical Deve- lopment Coordinating Committee of Denver Regional Council of Governments. Local Streets: (See figure 14 for Typical Cross-Section) Right-of-Way Width - 40' and 50' Traffic Lanes - 2 Traffic Capacity - 2000 vehicles per day (V.P.D.) Speed Limit - 25 miles per hour (M.P.H.) Access Conditions - Intersections are at grade with direct access to abutting property. V -21 39013S UsTaLH IN 1 LI 3aas3S a;)xatd 1 3aas3S LOSSSSE~ r n s 1aa33S ZUT I CLU _ 0 1 1 1 3aai1 1 M M N ;p clays 1 ~ ~1 Y ..1 v 1 4 v ;''n. 1 1 /1 1 Ilu memos '1S la: ti m ~ x 3 m M = ILI 41 ~ _ H 1S xanop •aS aIpna Y N m F~ 3 1 s ~ X • v W V] Y N O ~ N 1 1 s 1 mom pEoa p=EM *11 A 1 I V-22 1 i i i i Traffic Characteristics - (a) Direct access to residential properties is by way of curb cuts or drive over curbs. II (b) Occasional parking is normally allowed on both sides of the street. Planning Characteristics -(a) Local streets should be designed to prevent through traffic from passing through the neighborhood. (b) Local streets should not intersect major arterial streets. Collector Streets: (See figure 14 for Typical Cross-Section) Right of Way Width - 60 feet f Traffic Lanes - 2 to 4 Traffic Capacity - 5,000 - 11,000 V.P.D. Speed Limit - 25-30 M.P.H. Access Conditions - Intersections are at grade with direct access to abutting property permitted. Traffic Character- istics Regulation of traffic between collector streets and other types of streets is accomplished by traffic control devices. Planning Character- istics (a) Collector streets hhould have continuity throughout a neighborhood or industrial district but need not extend beyond these districts. (b) Intersections with major streets should be one- quarter mile apart. (c) Sidewalks should be set back from the street. Arterial Streets: (See figure 14 for Typical Cross-Section) Right of way Width - 80 feet V -23 Traffic Lanes - 4 Traffic Capacity - 20,000-30,000 V.P.D. Speed Limit - 25-45 M.P.H. Access Conditions - (a) Intersections are generally at grade and should not be permitted at intervals less than one-quarter mile. (b) Abutting properties and local streets not normally allowed indiscriminate direct access to the street. Traffic Character- istics (a) Regulations of traffic are accomplished by traffic control devices and channelization. (b) Parking is prohibited. Planning Character- istics (a) Major arterial streets should be spaced approximately one mile apart. (b) Major arterial streets should not bisect neighborhoods but should act as boundaries between them. (c) Sidewalks should be set back from the street. (d) Abutting properties should not face on the roadway unless separated from it by a frontage road. A turn lane is recommended for an arterial and a collector street. It offers a smooth flow of traffic to the traveled lanes. It will eliminate the traffic accident, potential of stop and go traffic because of turning vehicles. Without erratic movements, there will be less air and noise pollution. Design Standards for Street Intersections- Figure 14a exemplifies design standards for collector transition, intersection of local -arterial and intersection of collector-arterial. Each of these intersection design standards requires a minimum distance of 300 feet. Maximum transition distance will be determined by traffic volume. V-24 4 i 0 z Q U) U) W W LtJ ry F- U) u C CJ H [i a X W a W J O U NOTE: A 50' Collector Street, using same cross-section as a 50' local street was approved 9/27/76. 6 W 'I r 8 O V-25 W U 0 a z tw w w E o m z w ~ E z t- W~ J 8 LL 0 LL O M1 90 C it s F 3 V-25a W 3 4 z 0 x X Q H a w a ~ CO 2 o W ~ f J , Q ~ W F h ~ Q ~ k O U • W ~ J ~ 8 i O Z O L U N : W f 2 NOTE: Approved 9/27/76 W Z 0 U W Cf) it w Z F - w W w O Z U) 'Z V w 0 .~i 5 47 p, W M 'PATE[ uepuayS v •3S Uv TSEH 3S aOaaTd -PATE[ t{1aoMspaµ lS uosTaasy •3S BuTTdTY PEO'd pirbi V-26 G N M Vm N a W w ~ N LLJ N _j Ld d w W J = ~~yy m E[= 8 ~ N o _ • - - It u p = LL a U ~ C c U v Y P y 0 N W ro J - ~ ro -w = F O O • n m a... C a d i i i i IV TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES Wheat Ridge is situated in a very good location resulting in convenient access to air, railway, as well as highway transportation. A. Air: There is no airport in the City. However, both Jeffco Airport and Stapleton Inter- national Airport are about 8.5 miles from the City. Jeffco Airport can be reached by Wadsworth Boulevard and Stapleton by I-70 easily. This means that either airport facility can be reached from the city between 20 to 30 minutes depending on the traffic conditions. B. Railway: Colorado and Southern, Railways run through the northwestern portion of the City where the major industrial sites are locacted. The railway originates in the City of Golden and runs eastward to join the main railway tracks of Burlington Northern and Union Pacific where they have access to the entire nation. This railway could pro- vide a very efficient mode of transportation to and from the industrial district, north of Highway I-70 within the City. C. Highway Transportation: The City is transversed by four state highways north and southward at an interval of about one and one-half miles. The Interstate Highway 70 runs through the northern portion of the City and then has a 90-degree turn running parallel to the western City boundary. I-70 has an access from coastline to coastline of the nation. 0, Public Transportation: Bus is the only public transportation facility in the City. There are several metro- politan-wide buses running through the City However, Bus No. 13 runs most frequently,, and is used most by the riders. V -27 This bus runs along the entire length of West 38th Avenue within the City and has access to Quebec Street east of Denver. The headway is one hour from 9:45 a.m. to 7:45 p.m., with about 20 minutes to one hour from 5:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. and from 2:45 p.m. to 6:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. For Saturdays, Sundays and holidays, it runs about one hour headway from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. This is the bus used most by the passengers to go to work and shop in downtown Denver. The bus fare is 35¢ from 4:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. weekdays, and 25Q at all other times. L. - V -29 laazl5 usl.xeH y 0 laa.xlS Q3191d P^I8 laaalS uos t.c.ae~ r e s laQ14S 8UTIdi7i c n 1 ' lS aa;.c ed 1 laaals So 1 4 F N M F N N V) w H 0 ,o _N w H W 3 0 m B ■ cc Y m m o Y o Y n .a m m m m c c r c c E m m E ~ i c m 1 f- U pi V V ~ N M r1 m n-¢ n c o m O • C m Y m pi n m U ¢m03 Y O m Y F Q J M N V-29 SECTION V (continued) TRANSPORTATION PLAN - BIKEWAY PLAN FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO Section V-Bikeway Plan Title Page BIKEWAY PLAN I INTRODUCTION In 1976, 100 million people are estimated to be riding bicycles, an increase from 83 million in 1973 and 7S million in 1970. The increase in bicycle users since 1950 was dramatic as evidenced in the following table: U. S. BICYCLES AND USERS PER CAPITA 1950 1960 1970 U. S. Population 150,000,000 180,000,000 203,000,000 Bicycles 23,S00,000 50,000,000 Users 19,000,000 3S,200,000 75,300,000 Bicycles Per Capita 0.03 0.25 Users Per Capita 0.15 0.26 0.37 Source: U. S. Census and Bicycles Institute of America Although over 90% of the children in the United States ride bicycles, the Schwinn Bicycle Company reports that the largest market in the history of bicycling now exists in the 18 to 34 year age bracket. More than 1/3 of the 1971 bicycle sales were to adults and 1/2 of the 1972 bicycle sales were to adults. Forty-two of the fifty United States have existing bicycle facilities and have plans for additional bikeway construction. Over 8.9 million bicycles were sold in the United Stated in 1971, more than double the sales of 1960 (3.7 million). Bicycle sales in 1970, for the first time, surpassed automobile sales (6.9 million vs. 6.5 million). The following table compares bicycle sales to automobile sales from 1968 to 1972: V-30 NATIONAL BICYCLE SALES VS. AUTOMOBILE SALES YEAR BICYCLE SALES 1968 7.5 1969 7.1 1970 6.9 1971 8.9 1972 13.9 (65% Gain over 1971) AUTOMOBILE SALES (Millions) 8.8 8.2 6.5 8.6 11.0 Using the present national standard of one bicycle for every four people, the total number of bicycles in the Denver Metropolitan Area (five counties) amounts to 480,500 bicycles. The break down of each county is as follows: 1-1-74 No. of Bicycles Per County Population Four People Adams 225,600 56,400 Arapahoe 211,300 52,825 Boulder 164,200 41,050 Denver 529,600 132,400 Jefferson 310,800 77,700 Total 1,441,500 360,375 Carrying the estimate further, at a rate of 1 bicycle for every four people, wheat Ridge with an estimated population of 36,000 people in 1975 should have 9,000 bicycles. No other figures are available at this time. The reasons for the increase in bicycle ownership and usage are many, but in part, most stem from a realization of the advantages of bicycling. These advantages include: V-31 Time: In congested urban area, the bicycle is often faster than either auto or bus for commuter travel. It is faster, easier and less expensive to park. Economy: The total cost for a commuter who bicycles 10 miles a day, year round, is around $5.50 - 1/100 of the cost of driving. Bicycles are less expensive initially than an automobile, cost less to insure and maintain. Exercise: Bicycling offers a pleasurable way to control body weight, enhance the cardiovascular status, develop a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure, increase strength and endurance, and improve the adequacy of the blood supply to the muscles of the extremities and the heart itself. Environment: The bicyclist takes pride in knowing that his bicycling often means one less car on the road. He is doing his part to lessen pollution, traffic congestion and noise. Participation: Bicycling is a family participation activity and is not an isolationist vehicle as is the automobile. AGE OF BICYCLE RIDERS Although statistics by age of bicycle ownership are not available for the Denver area, one study in Ann Arbor, Michigan showed the following: V-32 i 1. Bicycle use prior to school age is usually restricted by parents to areas very near the child's home. For this reason, ridership pride to the age of six is minimal. 2. Ownership rises sharply between ages six and fifteen. Ownership reaches its peak among 15-year olds (0.7 bikes per capita). 3. Between the ages of 15 and 17, there is a pronounced decline in per capita bicycle ownership. This corresponds to a rapid rise in car ownership. Bicycle ownership then levels off and remains fairly stable until about age 40. 4. There is a gradual decline in bicycle ownership in the 40 to 60 age group. Ownership becomes insignificant at approximately age 60. S. The age span between 18 and 45 is where the greatest increases in bicycle use and ownership can be expected. TYPE OF TRIP AND PURPOSE There are five general types of bicycle riding: Commuter Riding: Usually made by adults with a specific purpose, these trips are longer, occur with regularity, and usually will take the cyclist out of his immediate neighborhood. Because many cyclists will use the same system of streets, specifically designated bikeways are desirable. Recreational Riding: Using the bicycle for recreational pursuits is an activity that can be enjoyed by all ages. The benefits of designated bikeways would be quickly realized by this group of cyclists who enjoy seeing different areas of their community. V-33 Neighborhood Riding: Family groups and children enjoy this type of riding where the trips are usually short and close to home. The purpose of this riding is usually recreational. Sport Riding or Touring: This group of cyclists will usually ride long dis- tances--up to 140 miles in a day. Special clothing and bicycle equipment is used. All ages of cyclists are attracted to this healthy and challenging type of riding. Racing: Competitive riding is growing in popularity with all ages as demonstrated by the number of racing clubs. A bicycle system, to be successful, must take into account the different purposes and designations of bicycle riding. II THE BIKEWAY PLAN In order to provide a balanced transportation system, a city must encourage alternatives to the usage of the private auto. In addition to a mass transit system, pedestrian and bicycle movement offer rational alternatives. Unfortunat y, the present form of most urban areas has madc biking and walking a Porgotton mode of transportation. However, a reversal of this trend is occurring, due to increased concern for the environment and the energy crisis. In response to this concern, many cities are attempting to provide bikeways for their citizens. The purpose of this bikeway plan for the City of Wheat Ridge, is to provide a means of transportation by linking the various neighborhoods, parks, schools, and commercial areas. In addition, walking and biking are recognized as V-34 forms of recreation by utilizing natural scenic areas such as Lena Gulch, Clear Creek and Rocky Mountain Ditch. Although commuting from one side of the City to the other will be convenient, little emphasis is placed upon commutor biking to downtown Denver at this time. Transporting the estimated 5,600 school children safely to school and recrea- tion is the first priority of this plan and secondarily providing for commutor trips within the City. Development of the recreational bikeway on Clear Creek is already underway and construction of other recreational trails will occur with development of open space along Lena Gulch and Rocky Mountain Ditch. As data becomes available on commutor needs to points outside the City, cooperation with other cities should produce new or altered routes. Approximately 36.5 miles of bikeway are proposed. Every park, school and major activity area is connected to the system. Wherever possible, the plan utilizes existing streets and drainageways. For both safety and economic reasons, an effort was made to avoid arterial and collector streets. Where high traffic volume streets are used, physical separation will be provided. j The proposed routes are flexible enough to take a number of design solutions: separation of the bikeway by barriers on collectors and arterials; marking or signage on low volume streets; routing through parks and drainageways; and sidewalk bike paths in narrow streets. Right-of-ways range from 40 feet to 60 i feet on the routes used, and all are wide enough for some form of bikeway. Even the 40 foot local, streets can accommodate a bike route or an eight foot side- walk bikepath. (Figure 1). The optimum design solution for collectors and j_ arterials is to utilize a parkway for separation of bikeways and vehicular traffic. V-35 For both recreation and transportation, drainageways are utilized. Clear Creek provides a possible link with the Platte River Trail System, and the City of Golden. These drainage systems offer access to many areas without exposure to traffic. In only three. instances in addition to Lena Gulch and Rocky Mountain Ditch, do the routes traverse private property, requiring an easement: 1. In order to connect West 41st Avenue on either side of Wadsworth, an easement through private property on the east side of Wadsworth is needed. This scheme will require a traffic light. Alternatives are to use West 44th or West 38th Avenue which are high volume streets and would need to be widened. 2. An easement is needed between Tabor and Van Gordon Streets to connect Tabor Street with West 49th Avenue. The alternative to this route is to use Ward Road for the bikeway. 3. An easement across private property will be required north of West 44th Avenue and Kipling Street. If the area is developed as an activity center, means of pedestrian and bike access should be incor- porated into the design. A traffic signal or pedestrian/bike bridge will be necessary to tie in the two sides of Kipling Street. A. DESIGN No attempt at detailed design will be made in this plan. Engineering studies will occur at the time of implementation. Variations and combinations of the i examples of design standards in Figure 2 will most likely result. On any given route, all types of bikeways will probably be utilized. Emphasis will be placed on a smooth, safe transition between the different types. Below are shown the types of bikeways and some minimum design criteria. i V-36 B. CLASSIFICATION OF BIKEWAYS There are three basic classifications of bikeways, exclusive, restricted and shared bikeways. Within these classes are four types of bikeways: A. Exclusive Bikeways 1. Bike Path - a completely separate right-of-way designated for the ex- elusive use of bicycles. Conflicts at grade are kept to a minimum. Exclusive bikeways are usually developed within parks, drainageways, open spaces; railroad right-of-ways, power transmission right-of-ways and in conjunction with new development. However, paths should be built whenever possible on high volume streets. B. Restricted Bikeways 1. Bike Lane - a restricted on-street right-of-way designated for the use of bicycles. Usually this type is provided when parking can be removed from one side of the street. Where bicycle volume is high, or lane is narrow, bicycle traffic should be restricted to one direction. The bike i lane, whether painted or separated by a physical barrier is included in this class. Width for two-way bike traffic should be 6-8 feet. Usually, bikeways on arterials will utilize some method of physical separation, whether concrete barriers or guard rails. Where street right-of-ways are wide enough, painted bike lanes are preferrable to the sidewalk path. The major problem with this type is encroachment by the auto on the bike lanes and maintenance. C. Shared Bikeways I. 1. Signed Route - a shared right-of-way in the street designated as such i by signs or stenciling on the pavement. Signed bike routes are difficult i to follow if not properly signed and stenciled. This method only works well on local or collector streets with low traffic volume. v-37 2. Sidewalk Path - a shared right-of-way for the use of pedestrians and cyclists. This method has many disadvantages and only functions well where there are long blocks and few interruptions by driveways and intersections. Smooth interfacing with the street is mandatory. Minimum width should be at least 8 feet. While it is often desireable to avoid mixing bicycles with other forms of trans- portation, it is recognized that in many instances, this will be the most practical means of developing a bikeway and in some cases may be the only solution. III BIKE SUPPORT SYSTEM A bikeway system, whether it be a local or regional system, is more than a lane of asphalt devoted to bicycles. In addition to careful planning and design, it must also involve the cooperation and support of the police and traffic officials, it must include bike education in the schools, special graphics for bikeways that are clear to both riders and motorists, and the support of downtown merchants and apartment owners who must provide bicycle parking facilities. A. MULTI-MODAL TRANSPORTATION SYSTEM Support should be given to any regional bus-bike transportation efforts, such as a "pedal hopper" system, or a bus-bike transfer system. Below is an example of a means of transporting bikes on buses by use of a trailer. V-38 B. BIKE PARKING Bike parking should be provided at parks, schools, major activity centers and at the major bus stops. C. TRAFFIC SAFETY PROGRAM Means of ensuring biker and motorist safety should be explored. A program of safety education for both drivers and cyclist should be implemented, and new traffic ordinances may be needed. Increased signalization will probably be re- quired at locations along Wadsworth and Kipling where bike routes cross. In addition, other support systems include restrooms, drinking fountains, and information services. IV BIKEWAY MAINTENANCE Regular maintenance of all bikeways (on and off-street) is important to their usage. Accumulation of debris, snow, gravel, tree branches, broken glass, etc. will discourage bikeway use and force bicyclists to use local streets for their riding. Maintenance of potholes and cracked edges (on off-street bike paths) is critical to the safety of bicyclists. Full cooperation from the Public Works Department and Parks and Recreation Department regarding regular bikeway maintenance is absolutely necessary to the success of a bikeway system. It is also recommended that lightweight vehicles function as the bikeway maintenance vehicles so as to not exert unnecessary weight upon an off-street bikeway sur- face. Maintenance Recommendations 1. Bicycle lanes should be swept at least once every two weeks. Bicycle paths (off-street) should be swept once a month. 2. Regular pruning of adjacent vegetation should occur throughout the i year to maintain clearances and sight distances along off-street bicycle paths. V-39 3. Street sweepers should continue straight through all intersections to collect those patches of debris and gravel that often accumulate and are missed. V BIKEWAY FUNDING Funding for a community bikeway system is dependent upon the responsible agencies. These agencies (the Planning Department, the Public Works Department, the Parks and Recreation Department, etc.) may choose to appropriate the nec- essary monies out of their operating budgets or they may seek out available bikeway funding programs. Local Sources: There are several local revenue sources that should be in- vestigated prior to any committment of one particular funding source. These are: 1. Bicycle License Fees: A portion of the fees collected for bicycle licenses could be placed in a fund for implementation and maintenance of the system. 2. Bicycle Rental Concession: A portion of the concession permit fee i and a percentage of income based upon bicycle usage could be utilized for maintenance of existing facilities and implementation of new routes in areas directly serviced by the concessionaire. i_ 3. Sales Tax on Bicycles: An additional sales tax applied to bicycles and; related products would provide a type of user tax, and eliminate some of the financial burden felt by those who would not use the facilities.' 4. Park Fees: A part of entrance and/or parking fees at parks and re- creation areas would produce sums for maintenance and implementation of bicycle facilities. V-4D S. Fines and Forfeitures: A percentage of the revenues gained from violation fines and forfeitures could logically be applied toward bikeway construction. VI BICYCLE. SAFETY RULES Bicyclists should obey the following safety rules: 1. Ride in a straight line - no stunts. 2. Slow down at all intersections. 3. Give pedestrians right-of-way. 4. Watch for cars pulling into traffic lanes. S. Maintain bicycle in safe working order. 6. Pass to the right when meeting all vehicles coming toward you. 7. Pass to the left of all vehicles moving in the same direction as you. 8. Never pass another vehicle when meeting another vehicle. 9. Never pass a vehicle on a curve, a hill, or on a street or road intersection. 10. Never cut in closely in front of cars or any other vehicle. Don't cut corners. 11. Bicyclists should use same turning signals as car drivers. Left hand straight out for left turn; straight up for right turn and down for stopping. Always signal at least 100 feet before stopping or turning. 12. Obey traffic lights - never cut a light. 13. Stop signs are for bicyclists as well as motorists. Stop, look both ways, then go ahead carefully. 14. Do not zig-zag or weave in and out of traffic. 15. Do not park bicycles against fire hydrants. Here are some suggestions for greater enjoyment of the bicycle: 1. Raise your saddle so that your leg almost straightens when pedal is in lowest position. V-41 2. Pedal with the ball of the foot. 3. Keep handle bars lower than saddle. 4. Keep tires inflated to at least the recommended pressure. 5. Do not keep bicycle in high gear, for it should pump very easily. 6. Keep the nose of your saddle behind center of sprocket wheel. 7. Pedal at a medium rate of speed. 8. Have an operative white light in front and a red light or reflector in the rear. 9. Join a bicycle club. NOTE: The above safety rules and suggestions were obtained from the Colorado State Patrol and the League of American Wheelman, Inc. V-42 LOCAL CURB a GUTTER CURBS, GUTTER SIDEWALK BIKEPATH UTILITY RO.W. PARKING TRAVEL LANES TILITY RO.W ISI 4.5j- 8 10 b J l 4.5 I I.B E 4dR0.W CURB B GUTTER CURB B SIDEWALK /BKERATH UTILITY ROW TRAVEL LADES -UTILITY RO.W. f 45 12~ 12~ 40ROW R _ SIDEWALK/BIKEPATH CURBS GUTTER CURBS, GUT SIDEWALK TER UTILITY R.O.W.\ TRAVEL LANES PARKING \ / ,UTILITY ROW PHYSICAL BARRIER `/CURB a GUTTER CURB S GUTI UTILITY ROWS \ BIKELANE TRAVEL LANES PARKING COLLECTOR. TRAVEL LANES CURB ROW ROW. EXAMPLES OF STREET DESIGNS FOR BIKEWAYS FIGURE 17 3-30"76 V-43 RAW. w 4 z r 0 rn U) ~yC ~m 2 U J W K r w m s m U QJ )U Z a W Q w G cc s W Y m 0 z U) w 0 w w C() 'O V I W J IL Q X W V-44 s 2 3 4 hlKt romp .:e c:..5%J - =~,F .:s6_ c' <'E Rt'C -R. ramp 11 CEU dry:.n a 4y}fit r)•S~w~ vYry:~?.!r-.r,i..{{r n MEMO 02 St ery*r. c~ - FIGURE 18 BIKEWAY DESIGN ALTERNATIVES V-45 5 6 FIGURE IB (continued) 1. Bike lane utilizing parking lane on one side of street. 2. Bike path shared right-of-way with pedestrian traffic. 3. Bike path utilizing landscaping within street right-of-way. 4. Bike path utilizing parkway median. 5. Bike path utilizing drainageway. 6. Bike path utilizing park or open space. V-46 1 I i i i ~ -f 1 Z g n ~ Q ' W 3 Y Q ~ Q U V-47 TTd T~iOo m j O1 C ie n L v O V O m y m w Yw m' Y.- O_ L CF O O O ; O II q O` N W 0= •c rna~' J wE~ED•.=c T, 3 j 0 0 04 2 m E N c 0: > v J W c U q m o COOm m m • d N m • q._L ODD L° c'm 3-NO us ~ CL c o m et m v m m mC C • q'O ? w d ry p d O d q O q~ d r"N 2 q0 m iT C . e7. > O ci m C Y` Q 1] V t1 C p .O LJ omE p cd OdD i- D> O Y O « C D C m£- N g q p OA(~ ono ..y W c v n.- N c Y o~ E~ L Ed m Q c o o a J r E ai m'- m a N w E c ¢s~~°° I O> L g C N d~ m H C m C m a m Y« m 3 d c a q Y L Y d C y i - y3o;unD°c~~Emt-D~ 00dpQO'o'3c gEmu9 J E v ~ J'c 'c s W _ T O U W o a a N T m U C oL V ~ N ~ C d ~U >s = C r N q UJ O r OJ C p«d'n O `u C. Y o > q E z > « U Z C O w m m C D7 N .L-~ Z 'N C O m .q. 6 m ^ E c v J V O_~ > U m V m m« « E O r}>• m T U y d E g q mAANE3D y N Y 3 N ]G W m i < J " O _ L '-A C/3 U r u cca t S 27' C ~ Oy !n q " m C O L m- 0 O Y nd ~~'d^ C m U C J J c E ° L d m U V D- gy m y Ngca O - g d T C m N a m C t ~ m O_1 a q ~ ° J n •(qeo ZO_1 'O L C N Z N= w Y C q~~ v~ y C q C 'y V N d .Q1 3 O d m° T t a v m u CO C D ~s E F-' n o .o > q ° G 3 h a ~ qo q • m c ; o D = c .3 q m d m C E D C rn a o 0 0 'N M C q C J ~ ~ m m q « zgN3d O ° x W d q z S p) U :6 Q q c t J O ~ d D W p' ci - Y E u ° ' d E ~ m E u ~ = aEr~'.o m e~i « ° c cn L « m ,r Y U ~ Ql ~ N O H'y.D W W / Z O v-48 SECTION VI ECONOMIC BASE STUDY FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO BY OBLINGER-SMITH CORPORATION April, 1976 Section VI-Title Page SEUrION V1 TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE TITLE WHEAT RIDGE ECONOMIC BASE STUDY , GENERAL ECONOMIC OVERVIEW 2 2 Employment 5 Income 5 Manufacturing 8 Wholesale Trade Selected Services Retail Trade 10 RETAIL MARKET ANALYSIS 11 ' Trade Area Delineation 12 Potential Retail Sales - - 14 Retail Sales Capture - 16 Gross Leaseable Area Sales 19 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL 22 Retail Commercial Development 22 _ Strip Commercial Development 22 _ Existing Shopping Center Location 24 Vacant, Developable Land 25 Consideration of the Establishment of a Central Business District Within Wheat Ridge 26 Selected Economic Questionnaire Results 27 Retail Commercial Development Projections 29 Development Potential of Non-Retail Commercial Development- 30 Industrial Land Use Projections 31 DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC IMPACT 33 38 APPENDIX Section VI-Contents List WHEAT RIDGE ECONOMIC SASE STUDY l A community's economic base has always been an important considera- tion in long range comprehensive planning and in the evaluation of development proposals. Only through achieving a stable economic base of high value can a City assure the provision of quality govern- mental services at a reasonable cost (taxes) to its residents. The economic aspects of future Wheat Ridge growth and development are even more critical than those of many other communities because the City has relatively little land available for future development and prospects for substantial annexation appear limited. It is surrounded by other incorporated communities on three sides and by _ unincorporated development to the west, the residents of which, to date, have indicated a negative attitude toward annexation to the City. Thus, existing vacant, developable land must be considered an asset of limited quantity and of extreme value. ( In order to determine how Wheat Ridge can maximize its return on future development, the present status of the City's economic base must be known and understood. Such an understanding allows for the identification of economic opportunities, which in turn provides an expanded basis for evaluation of development proposals. It is therefore the purpose of this economic base study to candidly identifxr- the status of the Wheat Ridge economic base and the opportunities for maximizing the benefits of future economic development to the City. VI { GENERAL ECONOMIC OVERVIEW This section presents a general overview of the major Wheat Ridge economic sectors. The overview is hampered by the fact that census data are not available for the City prior to 1970 since the community was not incorporated until 1969. However, comparison of the distribution of various sectors in Wheat Ridge versus the larger Denver Standard Metropolitan Statistical Area (SMSA) provides a measure of the status of the Wheat Ridge economy relative to that of the metropolitan region. Employment Employment statistics are excellent. indicators of the economic health of any given area. Favorable employment situations indi- cate high production levels of business and industry, high standards of living, increased demands for services and housing at the local level, and accelerated rate of money exchange, whereby greater numbers of persons have opportunities to prosper. If the employment situation is not favorable, identification of undesirable employment factors can assist in improving the overall, economic status. Table 1, Wheat Ridge Employment by Industry, illustrates the distribution of employment in Wheat Ridge and the Denver SMSA by industry as reported by the 1970 Census. Comparison of the data for the two areas indicates no significant deviation in Wheat Ridge distribution of employment by industry from that of the SMSA. It is important to note that employment as reported by the Bureau of the Census relates to the place of residence of the employed person and not the place of employment. Thus, this information and subsequent data do not refer to employment in Wheat Ridge; _ it does however indicate that the employment diversification of Wheat Ridge residents is equal to that of the SMSA.1 lActual numbers of wheat Ridge residents employed within the community is estimated based upon the questionnaire discussed on page 28 . VI -2 TABLE 1 Wheat Ridge Employment by Industry Industry Wheat Ridge Number Percent Denver SMSA Number Percent Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries Mining Construction Manufacturing Transportation, Communica- tion and Utilities Wholesale Trade Retail Trade Commercial Services Personal, Public Services TOTAL 157 1% 6,335 1% 111 1 5,740 1 911 7 30,407 6 2,025 16 83,835 17 1,194 9 39,353 8 967 7 28,812 6 2,270 17 84,003 17 "1,457 11 52,409 11 4,047 31 162,067 33 13,1391 100% 492,961 100% 1Total employment as of December 31, 1975 was 16,175 within Wheat Ridge based upon an estimate prepared by the City Department of Community Development using State Employment Division data. Employment by sectors was not estimated for this same time periods Source: General Social and Economic Characteristics, Colorado U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1970. Table 2, Wheat Ridge Employment by occupation, provides another method of comparing employment of Wheat Ridge residents to em- ployment in the SMSA. Again no substantial deviation exists with the exception that Wheat Ridge maintains a relatively higher per- centage of persons employed as managers, sales workers, and clerical workers. The percentage of Wheat Ridge persons employed in the occupations of operatives, laborers and service workers are also somewhat less than the distribution of those occupations for the SMSA. VI -3 TABLE 2 Wheat Ridge Occupation of Employed Occupation Wheat Ridge Number Percent Persons , Denver Number SMSA Percent Professional 2,632 20 97,995 20 Managers and Administra- tors 1,546 12 47,981 10 Sales Workers 1,417 11 41,282 8 Clerical 3,022 23 104,548 21 Craftsmen and Foremen 1,577 12 59,283 12 Operatives 783 6 39,402 8 Transport Operatives 959 3 17,295 4 Laborers 400 3 18,133 4 Farmers and Managers 34 - 1,831 - Farm laborers and Foremen 66 0.5 2,293 - Service Workers 1,136 9 58,226 12 Private Household Workers 67 0.5 4,692 1 TOTAL 13,139 100.0 492,961 100 Source: General Social and Economi c Characteristics, Colorado U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1970. Since no significant deviation from SMSA employment distribution can be identified, the only conclusion which can be reached from review of this material is that the income base for the City of Wheat Ridge is as stable as that of the overall SMSA. Residents of Wheat Ridge do not depend upon one, or just a few, major industries or occupations for their employment, which indicates that the City is relatively unaffected by slumps in individual industries or occupations. The importance of such diversification VI -4 11 of employment was illustrated when the cities of Wichita, Kansas and Seattle, Washington, two communities which rely heavily upon the aircraft industry for employment, suffered high unemployment and related hardships when that industry slumped in 1971. Income Income levels as reported in the 1970 Census also indicate a favorable economic status for the City of Wheat Ridge. The median family income in Wheat Ridge was $11,711, nine percent greater than the $10,777 median income of the Denver SMSA. Similarly the mean or average family income of Wheat Ridge, $13,242, was nine percent higher than that of the SMSA. Distribution of income by Census Tract is illustrated on Table 3, Wheat Ridge Income by Census Tract. The variation in both median and mean incomes is significant. When superimposed on the Census Tract Map on the following page, this information assists in identifying those areas which may or may not, depending upon other characteristics and considerations, require emphasis in provision of community facilities and programs. obviously the higher income levels in Wheat Ridge indicate a general economic well-being of the community. Perhaps more im- portantly it indicates the ability of the residents of Wheat Ridge to support higher quality governmental functions and ser- vices and the various commercial sectors of the community economy at levels exceeding those of the SMSA. The community should recognize this capacity in analysis of its taxing potential. Manufacturing The following review of the manufacturing, wholesale trade and selected services sectors of the Wheat Ridge economy not only compare the sales of Wheat Ridge to the Denver SMSA, but illustrates the portion ofathe total SMSA sales attributable VI -5 CENSUS TACT B U'A" ARI WITISU 7HE C17Y OF WHEAT IM ' i VI-5a TABLE 3 Wheat Ridge Income by Census Tractl Tract Median Income2 Mean income3 104.02 $ 9,313 $ 12,867 104.03 10,036 10,376 105.01 14,281 1 17,142 105.02 13,674 15,552 106.02 11,099 11,885 107 10,804 11,521 City-wide 11,711 13,242 1Not reported for Census Tract 106.51 and 103.02. 2Median income is the amount which divides the distribution into two equal groups, one having incomes above the median and the other having incomes below the median. 3Mean Income is commonly referred to as average income. Source: Census of Population and Housing, Census Tracts, \ U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1970. to Wheat Ridge. The figure for each specific item is meaningful when compared to the Wheat Ridge portion of the Denver SIMSOA popu- lation which is approximately two and one-half percent (2.50). Although a relatively simple assumption, it is believed that the Wheat Ridge economic base should be as strong and diversified as that of the SMSA. In those cases where the Wheat Ridge portion of the SMSA is less than two and one-half percent, the opportunity for additional development probably exists. This assumption is based on the premise that the City does not desire to be solely a bedroom community for surrounding communities and in fact desires to achieve its proportionate share of commercial 'and manufacturing development and subsequent diverse tax base. The "Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) Manual" defines manufacturing as a mechanical or chemical transformation of inorganic or organic substances into new products. The assembly of component parts of products is also considered to be manu- facturing if the resulting product is neither.a structure nor other fixed improvement. Manufacturing activities are usually carried on in plants, factories, or mills which characteristi- cally use power driven machines and materials-handling equipment. The "Census of Manufacturers" reports that the value added by manufacture in Wheat Ridge in 1972 was 32.9 million dollars. This amounted to 1.8 percent of the total "value added by manufacture" of the entire Denver SMSA (value added by manu- facture is defined as the adjusted value of shipments minus the total cost of materials). Although Wheat Ridge did not achieve a value added by manufacture proportionate with its portion of the SMSA population, the fact that it achieved almost 33 million dollars is very significant considering Wheat Ridge is a suburban community. Still it is assumed that the City could expand its manufacturing, or as commonly called, its "industrial base", not only to achieve a more stable overall economic base, but to enhance its tax base and subsequent tax revenues. i Unfortunately, other statistical data related to manufacturing is scarce. The Business Research Division of the University of Colorado publishes the "Directory of Colorado Manufacturers" annually. This publication indicates that in 1974, Wheat Ridge J contained 31 separate manufacturing establishments or approxi- mately 14 percent of those in Jefferson County which compares favorably to the portion of the county population which was approximately 13 percent in 1970. vi -7 The "Directory of Colorado Manufacturers" also identifies the primary products produced at each manufacturing establishment. The Wheat Ridge products, which include glass, machinery, con- tainers, apparel, plastics, printing, signs, biological products and electronic products, produce a relative diversified manu- facturing base. Wholesale Trade Wholesale trade as defined in the SIC Manual and reported in the 1972 Census of Wholesale Trade, includes establishments or places of business primarily engaged in selling merchandise to retailers; to industrial, commercial, institutional, farm or professional business users; or to other wholesalers; or acting as agents or brokers in buying merchandise for, or selling merchandise to, such persons or companies. j The wholesale trade sector of the Wheat Ridge economy experienced the lowest proportional rating relative to the SMSA of any Wheat Ridge economic sector. Wheat Ridge wholesale trade sales amounted to $30,579,000 or only 1/2 percent of the total Denver SMSA whole- sale sales of $6,425,397,000. It is difficult for the city to directly influence the growth and development of the wholesale trade sector through economic or development policy since wholesaling activities are relatively free of locational restrictions related to other types of activi- ties such as retail trade which benefit significantly by location in close proximity to consumers. The City can, however, indirectly, encourage expansion of its wholesale trade sector through proper zoning, development and redevelopment programs. Obviously such expansion should be considered by the City since this sector has great growth potential and can substantially increase and enhance revenues and employment opportunities in P'heat Ridge. VI Selected Services i The 1972 Census of Selected Service Industries included the following industries as defined in the SIC Manual: motels, hotels and tourist courts, etc; personal, business and auto- motive services; amusement and recreation services; and pro- fessional services. TABLE 4 Wheat Ridge Selected Services Kind of Business Wheat Ridge Denver SMSA ts i R Wheat Ridge s Receipts ece p ($1,000) ($1,000) of SMSA 690 85,746 0.8 Hotels, etc. Personal 2,474 106,373 2.3 ` 4,219 299,275 1.4 I ( Business Automotive Repair 1,465 126,289 1.2 Miscellaneous Repair (D) 42,684 - Amusement and Recreation 850 95,973 0.9 Dental Laboratories (D) 4,472 - 1,135 87,471 1.3 Legal Architectural, Engineering, etc. 1,654 87.625 1.4 TOTAL 13,222 935,909 1.4 (D) Withheld to avoid disclosure Source: Census of Selected Service Industries, Colorado, 1972. Table 4, Wheat Ridge Selected Services, illustrates the total receipts of the various categories or kinds of business for { Wheat Ridge and the Denver SMSA in 1972. Total selected service receipts in Wheat Ridge amounted to 1.4 percent of total SMSA receipts. It is interesting to note that the-only business VI -9 category in which Wheat Ridge receipts approached its proportion of the SMSA population was personal services. This is appro- priate since personal services are directly related to popula- tion. on the other hand, all other categories were significantly less than what would be considered desirable relative to the SMSA. Many opportunities for economic base enhancement are identified in Table 4. Both the private sector.and the City have recognized this opportunity as is evidenced by recent motel con- struction in the vicinity of I-70 and Kipling. The most signi- ficant opportunity appears to relate to filling the void in business and professional services. This deficiency is notice- able in the entire western portion of the Denver Metropolitan Area and if Wheat Ridge and this general area are to reduce their reliance on other portions of the metropolitan area for business and professional employment and services, these business cate- gories will have to be improved. Retail Trade t Retail trade, as reported in the 1972 Census of Retail Trade, includes all establishments primarily engaged in selling merchan- dise for personal or household consumption and rendering service incidental to the sale of the goods. The Wheat Ridge retail trade sector will receive detailed attention in the following section. VI-10 RETAIL MARKET ANALYSIS The preceding overview of the various sectors of the Wheat Ridge economy has provided relatively general indications as to the stability and economic success of the community relative to the Denver Metropolitan Area as a whole. The conclusions reached are meaningful; however, these conclusions are of limited value in identifying specific problems and actions which need to be taken to enhance the Wheat Ridge economic base, or in ascertaining exist- ing and future needs related not only to actual economic improve- ment, but related aspects such as sales, off-street parking require- ments, commercial development and zoning requirements. In order to provide the information required to achieve the above mentioned objectives, the following retail market analysis has been prepared- This sector of the overall economy has been selected for analysis for several reasons. First, City policies can directly effect retail trade while such policies may have less i effect on services or wholesale trade. Second, the general success of retailing can be better identified than that of the other sectors because more pertinent, definitive information is available for analysis. Finally, the retail sector exerts substantially greater impact on the City than does the wholesale and service commercial sectors. Not only are the tax revenues derived from sales tax on retail sales greater than on other types of sales, but retail commercial development has significant impact on land use, transportation, off-street parking needs and a host of other planning related items. It is important that this analysis be interpreted as an approxima- tion of retail conditions in Wheat Ridge, particularly as related to percent capture. The calculations are based on as accurate information as is available and the assumptions are based on sound economic principles; however, comparison of data sources reveals some discrepancies in the total amount of retail sales and distri- bution of those sales insofar as these discrepancies are less than . five percent; they do not significantly affect either the overall VI-11 f_ sm- analysis or the resulting conclusions. t _ Trade Area Delineation In order to evaluate the success of present retail sales efforts, the trade area, defined as that geographic area from which retailers can expect the majority of their sales to come, must be delineated. One method of ascertaining the trade area of any given community is to mail out questionnaires to determine where people live and where they shop for various types of retail goods. This type oc inventory has not been conducted for Wheat Ridge. Although it might have been useful in very precise delineation of the Wheat Ridge trade area, it is believed that it is not essential to this study. If additional detailed studies are undertaken to more pre- cisely identify the trade area the percent of capture of sales might be modified. If the trade area is larger than estimated in this study, the percent of capture of sales would be decreased. However, the analysis and trends concerning the viability of con- venience and shopping goods activity of Wheat Ridge merchants would remain the same. Convenience goods are those items for which the primary factor re- lating tor purchase is simply "convenience ; i.e., pro:;imity to con- sumer and ease of use of facility - not items for which the typical. consumer will usually examine several products at various establish ments. Shopping goods are those items for which the consumer will usually shop at different establishments comparing particularly such factors as pricing, and product name and identification. Studies conducted by the Urban Land institute have found that on the average a person will drive about five minutes or on.e to one and one-half miles for convenience. Based on this factor and hypothesis that no community surrounding Wheat Ridge has an unfair sales advantage and that all metropolitan area communities have adequate VI -12 convenience goods retail establishments, each community should capture close to 100 percent of the convenience goods purchases of its residents. This is a generalized hypothesis but should balance out in most cases. E'or example, persons residing in the north por- tion of Wheat Ridge, north of I-70 would probably purchase con- venience goods in Arvada. Similarly, persons residing in other communities close to Wheat Ridge's convenience stores probably purchase convenience goods in Wheat Ridge. The hypothesis provides an adequate analysis with the exception of the unincorporated area west of the City. Since this area has limited retail facilities, it can be assumed that persons residing in this area purchase convenience items in Wheat Ridge. Thus, this area has been in- cluded in the Wheat Ridge trade area. The shopping goods retail trade area presents a much different situation than the convenience goods trade area delineation. Again studies conducted by the Urban Land institute. indicate that for shopping type items, such as clothing and furniture, where com- ( parison shopping is important, the average person will drive from 15 to 25 minutes or within a general radius of five to eight miles. Again if every community had an equal distribution of establishments offering shopping goods at competitive price and quality in com- parable shopping environments, each community should capture all of the shopping goods purchases made by its residents. It is recognized that the equal distribution assumption is not valid because shopping establishments are not equally distributed throughout the Denver Metropolitan Area. However, it does provide for a meaningful evaluation of Wheat Ridge shopping establishments to capture purchases made by its own residents. If the community is not capturing its own shopping goods sales, it is probably not capturing the shopping goods purchases of persons residing outside of the Wheat Ridge trade area to any significant extent. VI-13 Based on the preceding, the Wheat Ridge trade area has been de- lineated as the incorporated area of the City including the un- incorporated area extending west of Interstate 70 to South Table mountain near Golden, Potential Retail Sales Several factors enter into the calculation of the potential retail sales of a trade area. Pertinent factors for Wheat Ridge are illustrated in Table 5, Wheat Ridge Trade Area Potential Retail Sales - 1974. The population of the Wheat Ridge trade area amounted to 41,674 persons in 1974. TABLE 5 Wheat Ridge Trade Area Potential-Retail Sales - 1974 Population1 35,871 (Wheat Ridge) + 1 803 ( +u1,500rpor3t1d0area) Number of Households2 1930 Average EBI per Household $17,650 Total EBI $237,039,500 Total Potential Retail Sales3 (61 percent of total EBI) $144,594,090 1As reported by Wheat Ridge and as reported for Census tracts 98.06 (100%) and 98.05 (75%). 2Based on respective persons per household as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Census, 1970 for each Census tract. 3Based on data presented in "Sales Management Survey of Buying Power", 1975. Source: Oblinger-smith Corporation, Consultants in. Planning, Design and Develooment, 1976. C VI-14 Applying the number of persons per household in each census tract as reported in the 1970 Census, it is calculated that approximately 13,430 households reside in the Wheat Ridge trade area. The average household Effective Buying Income (EBI) for Jefferson Countyl as reported in the Sales Management Survey of Buying Power, 1975", amounted to $17,650. Effective buying income represents those dollars actually received and available for discretionary spending. These income figures reflect such subtractions as,income and social security taxes and the addition of social security, welfare and other payments not directly earned. Applying the EBI per household to the number of households in the Wheat Ridge trade area yields a total effective buying income for the trade area of $237,039,500. It is estimated that approximately 61 percent of the EBI of the Denver Metropolitan Area is utilized for retail purchases.3 Ap- plying this factor to the total Wheat Ridge trade area effective ( buying income yields total potential retail sales amounting to $144,594,090. This is the amount of retail sales which Wheat Ridge could record if it were in an equally competitive position with other communities in the Denver Metropolitan Area. The effective buying income specifically attributed to the City of Wheat Ridge is not reported and therefore the EBI reported for Jefferson County has been utilized in these calculations. This substitute is satisfactory based on comparison of Wheat Ridge income to Jefferson County income as reported in the 1970 Census. 2A complete definition of Effective Buying Income (EBI) is as follows- includes personal income, wages, salaries, interest, dividends, profits, and property income minus Federal, State, and localtxcash It includes net cash income including in kind (payments goods and services such as food and housing, and income such as food consumed and rent of owner-occupied housing). Effective buying income is generally equivalent to the Federal definition of "personal disposable income" - "Survey of Buying Power", Sales Management magazine, July 21, 1975. 3This amount includes purchases by business and purchases from outside the Metropolitan Area. VI-15 it Retail Sales Capture The most definitive measure of the relative success of Wheat Ridge merchants is provided by comparing known present retail sales to potential retail sales. This comparison which is defined as retail sales capture, is illustrated on Table 6, Wheat Ridge Retail Sales Capture - 1974. TABLE 6 Wheat Ridge Sales Capture - 1974 C Item Convenience Goods Food Bldg. Materials Eating & Drinking Shopping Goods General Merchandise Apparel & Accessory Furniture & Appliance Automotive-- Miscellaneous5 TOTAL Sales as Potential 1 1974 Net Percent3 % of EBI Retail Taxable Reg Capture Sales tail Sales 20% $47,407,900 $50,987,366 108°% 11 26,074,345 31,936,446 122 4 9,481,580 11,614,161 122 5 11,851,975 7,436,759 63 18% $42,667,110 $22,948,804 54% 11 26,074,345 1.7,218,509 66 3 7,111,183 1,504,030 21 4 9,481,5SO 4,226,265 45 15% $35,555,920 $22,654,500 64% 8% $18,963,160 $14,458,757 76% 61% $144,594,090$111,049,427 770.- 1 Based on Denver Metropolitan Area sales distribution as reported in "Sales Management Survey of Buying Power", 1975. 2As reported by the Colorado Department of Revenue, 1974 for F2 - F9 3^ategories. Merchants percent capture of retail sales occurring in the Wheat Ridge trade area. 4Estimated; actual amount not available due to deductions. 51ncludes various types of goods - see text. Source: Oblinger-Smith Corporation, Consultants in Planning, Design and Development, 1976. VI-16 The potential retail sales for various types of goods are illus- trated in the third column of Table 6. The fourth column represents net taxable retail sales" as reported by the Colorado Department of Revenue. "Net taxable retail sales" are defined as gross sales less nontaxable sales for services, sales to other licensed dealers for resale; interstate commerce sales, sales to government, religious or charitable institutions; sales of gasoline and cigarettes; bad debts charged off upon which tax has been paid; returned goods, discounts and allowances on which tax has been paid and trade-ins for taxable resale, and prescription drugs and prosthetic devices. It is believed that net taxable sales provide the most accurate indication of the sales that are actually occurring to trade area households since this figure deletes sales to wholesalers, govern- ment and so forth. This holds true except in regard to automotive sales. Because sales tax is included in the price of gasoline, the deductions for automotive sales amounts to almost one-half of gross gasoline sales on a state-wide basis. For this reason the $22,654,500 sales figure illustrated on Table 6 is estimated (sales of cigar- ettes poses a similar problem and are not included in Table 6.) The last column, Percent Capture, identifies the success of Wheat Ridge merchants in capturing sales to persons within the Wheat Ridge trade area. Perhaps more importantly, it indicates the strengths and weaknesses of the Wheat Ridge retail sector. The percent capture of convenience goods sales in the City of Wheat Ridge is most unusual. Normally capture of convenience sales should approach but not exceed, 100 percent because people are not willing to drive far or shop for convenience goods. In the case of Wheat Ridge, the percent capture is 108 percent with the capture of food and building material sales amounting to 122 percent. It is be- lieved that this abnormally high capture of convenience goods sales results from the competitive pricing practices of major convenience item establishments and the past competitive edge pro- vided by the City's one percent sales tax. VI -17 The Wheat Ridge capture of potential shopping goods sales amounted to only 54 percent, indicating that this facet of the retail economic base is deficient. This deficiency is particularly acute as related to apparel, accessories, furniture and appliances. Improvement of shopping goods sales could result in additional City sales tax revenue of up to $440,000 at the current two percent sales tax rate. As previously noted, the 1974 automotive retail sales is an estimate; however, sales capture indicates there is an opportunity to capture additional automotive sales within the City. Since gasoline is actually a convenience type item, it is expected that the deficiency in sales capture may be attributed more to automobile sales and perhaps mobile home sales than to gasoline sales. Since these sales are taxed through the use tax, and the proliferation of dealers surrounding Wheat Ridge may make the establishment of additional dealerships in Wheat Ridge difficult, this deficiency in automotive sales may not be of great significance. The severity-six percent (760) capture of miscellaneous sales, al- though not definitive, is further indication that Wheat Ridge merchants are not capturing the purchases of its residents. In- cluded within this category are sales of drug and proprietary stores, liquor stores, antique and second hand stores, book and stationary stores, sporting goods and bicycle shops, farm and garden supply stores, jewelry stores, fuel and ice dealers, and retail stores not elsewhere classified. Merchants are probably capturing the convenience miscellaneous sales such as drug and liquor sales, but it is deficient in capturing the sales of such miscellaneous items as jewelry and sporting goods. The overall sales capture of 77 percent, although adequate for a rural community is not adequate in the metropolitan area. This deficiency is costing the City over half a million dollars in lost sales tax revenue annually. VI-1.0 Gross Leaseable Area Sales The analysis of percent capture provides insight into the overall ability of Wheat Ridge retail merchants to capture purchases with- in its trade area. Analysis of the sales volume per square foot of gross leaseable area (GLA) or the amount of space actually utilized for sales and related purposes (rental area) provides an indication of the efficiency or ability of existing stores to generate sales in comparison to shopping center standards. Table 7, National Community Shopping Center Sales, lists the median retail sales for various tenants frequently found in community shopping centers, as reported in the Urban Land Insti- tute "Dollars and Cents of Shopping Centers, 1975". TABLE 7 National Community Shopping Center Sales Convenience Goods Sales Per Sq.Ft. Shopping Goods Sales Per Sq.Ft. Arts & Crafts $33 Restaurant $64 Drugs $79 Supermarket $135 Variety Store $34 Menswear $66 Jewelry $78 Floor Covering $121 Source: Urban Land Institute, "Dollars and Cents of Shopping Centers, 1975". Although the Table does not include all tenants, it illustrates the range of sales per square foot of GLA which are experienced nationally for convenience and shopping goods establishments. As illustrated on the Table, arts and crafts shops generate sales f of approximately $33 per square foot, while sales per square foot attributed to supermarket sales amount to $135. Shopping goods sales range from $34 per square foot for variety stores to over $121 per square foot in floor covering stores. VI-19 T:-u. In order to ascertain Wheat Ridge establishments sales per square ` foot, the size of retail commercial structures was measured from recent aerial photographs of the City. Convenience sales establish- ments building area amounts to 696,612 square feet while shopping establishment building area is 753,310 square feet. Since walls, stairways and other unusable space of commercial establislunents typically utilizes approximately 15 percent of a structure, both building area totals were reduced by 15 percent. 'Comparing these figures to the retail sales in 1974 as illustrated on Table 6, reveals that convenience sales of Wheat Ridge occur at the rate of $86.11 per square foot of GLA and shopping goods sales occur at the rate of $35.60 per square foot of GLA. Comparison of Wheat Ridge sales volume per square foot to Table 7 indicates that Wheat Ridge convenience sales occur in the higher range of the ULI sales while the shopping good sales occur in the lower range. This finding substantiates the con- clusions reached based on the percent capture analysis concerning shopping goods sales deficiencies. The deficient shopping good sales identified in the retail market analysis is normally attributed to one or a combination of several factors including depressed household incomes or EBI, poor mer- chandising techniques by merchants, extremely competent competition by merchants in other communities, inadequate access, inadequate parking, poor shopping environment, and a host of other factors. The specific factors adversely affecting Wheat Ridge shopping goods sales have been identified as: 1. Undesirable shopping environment resulting from strip commercial development patterns, inadequate off-street parking and a generally poor "shopping environment". VI-20 2.. Competition from large community and regional shopping centers located outside Wheat Ridge. 3. A lack of overall commercial community identity resulting from the lack of major shopping center or central business district development concepts. These factors are considered in detail in the following section. VI -21 ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL The purpose of this section is to identify the potential of Wheat Ridge to enhance its economic base through commercial and indus- trial development. This analysis is both quantitative and quali- tative and draws heavily from experience in development and re- development as viewed by the private developer. It must be recognized that the true development potential of the City is totally dependent on the ability of the City to attract the pri- vate developer and to work with the private developer to achieve the goals of the City in an economically realistic manner. Retail Commercial Development The retail trade area market analysis indicates rather con- clusively that the convenience goods sector of retail trade is extremely successful in Wheat Ridge. Growth of that sector will occur relatively independently of City action as long as adequate land area is available. Since convenience goods sales are directly related to population, it can be anticipated that, with some modi- fication to be discussed in the projection portion of this section., convenience retail development will expand at approximately the same rate as the population of the Wheat Ridge trade area. Since the convenience sector of Wheat Ridge retail trade is so strong, the major emphasis on retail commercial development must be directed at the presently deficient shopping goods sector. Several factors affect the ability of Wheat Ridge to expand its shopping goods sales. These factors relate primarily to existing land use patterns. Strip Commercial Development One of the major obstacles to the success of shopping goods sales in wheat Ridge is the existing strip commercial development pattern. Perhaps the best way to illustrate the impact of strip development VI -22 is to compare it to what the Urban Land Institute states is the distinguishing parts of the shopping center as a building type and merchandising complex. These include: - a site that is suited to the type of center which the retail market analysis has justified; located for easy access from the trade area and arranged properly for retail selling and parking use. - a building composition that is an architectural unit and not a miscellaneous assemblage of stores. - an on-site parking arrangement that allows for ample en- trance between parked cars and the store buildings. - a service facility that separates goods delivery movement from customer circulation and eliminates servicing from the i. - public awareness. - a tenant grouping that provides for greatest merchandising inter-play among stores. - agreeable surroundings that lend an atmosphere for shopping ( in comfort, convenience, and safety - weather protection, foot traffic separated from the vehicular traffic, land- scaping, quality of design, control of sign-type and place- ment - characteristics not associated with the usual com- mercial district. Although strip commercial development can achieve adequate parking and access to the general area is relatively easy, ingress and egress from individual stores is sometimes difficult. Numerous curb cuts which result from access to each individual store not only reduces the traffic carrying capability of the street but presents a significant safety hazard as well. To reduce this problem to some degree, most ingress and egress to and from each individual store is limited to right turning movements. Since the stores are laid out in lineal fashion with little concern for tenant grouping, the automobile must be used more extensively to travel from store to store and the right turn only situation some- times makes this extremely tedious and frustrating. vi -23 obviously strip co_n4nercial development does not result in "a building composition that is an architectural unit and not a miscellaneous assemblage of stores". Additionally, in those 1 cases where commercial structures do not back-up to an alley, goods delivery cannot be separated from the public awareness. Perhaps more importantly, strip commercial development does not provide for merchandising inter-play among stores. Although figures are not available to substantiate this fact, it is be- lieved that a large portion of sales results from such inter- play among stores. Stating this in another manner, buyers tend to shop in an area (shopping center) that contains a number of retail outlets. This provides the shopper much more flexibility to undertake comparison shopping. Overall the shopping environment must be as defined for a shopping center to be successful. Strip commercial development does not provide for a desirable shopping environment and is automobile- oriented as opposed to pedestrian-oriented. In short, while consumers may spend several hours browsing in shopping centers making maximum utilization of the desirable shopping environment and the inter-play of merchandising techniques, it is difficult to imagine the consumer spending similar amounts of time in strip commercial development. Thus, the individual merchant cannot ex- pect to purchase a lot in strip commercial development and establish the required shopping environment. Such an effort must be a totally integrated development program which strip commercial will not accommodate. For these reasons, it is believed that unless additional in-depth, shopping center characteristic development can be provided in Wheat Ridge, the opportunity for the City to substantially increase retail sales and resulting tax revenues is minimal. Existing Shopping Center Location The competition from existing shopping centers located in close proximity to Wheat Ridge also affects the development of retail shopping goods outlets. Although Arvada, located to the north of Wheat Ridge, is deficient in major shopping facilities in much the same manner as is Wheat Ridge, the City does have extensive mixed yz -24 neighborhood community level, shopping center developments. Addition- ally, immediately to the east of Wheat Ridge is the Lakeside Shopping Center which provides extensive shopping opportunities, including major stores of The Denver Dry Goods and Wards. Southeast of the community is the JCRS shopping center which includes a J.C. Penneys and some specialty stores such as furniture and recreational equipment. Villa Italia, a regional shopping center located south of Wheat Ridge, contains major tenants including Montgomery Wards, J.C. Penneys, Joslins and other large clothing and apparel establishments. Immediately south of the City is the Westland Shopping Center which includes a Sears and May D&F. Thus, national and local department store chains are located in close proximity to the City and it is doubtful that the same chains, either local or national, would construct another store in Wheat Ridge which would be in such close proximity to their existing stores. Further, based on the present distribution of regional shopping centers in the Metropolitan Area, it becomes apparent that the next logical area for such a facility would be north of Wheat Ridge in the northern portion of expanding Arvada. Thus, from the standpoint of Wheat Ridge's location with respect to existing competing major shopping establishments in Denver, the potential for Wheat Ridge to attract such establishments is minimal Vacant, Developable Land In addition to the problem related to strip commercial development and competing shopping centers, Wheat Ridge is facing the very real problem of lack of vacant land suitable for commercial develop- ment. Shopping centers vary widely in size, but the minimum size parcel adequate for a neighborhood shopping center (grocery store- major tenant) is seven acres. Community shopping centers, the type of center on which the City must rely if it is to enhance shopping goods sales, require at least 11 acres and will probably require substantially more acreage. (The Applewood Shopping Center is approximately 31 acres in size.) The City must take whatever VI -25 E,Wt actions are necessary to preserve whatever vacant land, suitable for { shopping center development remains. Due to the present shortage of such land, redevelopment of some strip development and perhaps rezoning of undeveloped residential tracts may be required to achieve adequate shopping center sites. Consideration of the Establishment of a Central Business District Within Wheat Ridge A rather unique aspect of the City of Wheat Ridge is that it does not contain a central business district as do most other communities. This is believed both an asset and a liability. It is an asset in that most suburban communities have had to make substantial improvements to retain the viability of the old downtown or central business district. These efforts have ranged from the establishment of public parking and street improvements in the original Arvada business district to the relatively extensive improvement under- taken in Littleton. In view of the fact that Wheat Ridge has never had a central business district, the City is not burdened with the problem of retaining and improving what has become an obsolete merchandising area. on the other hand it is believed that the lack of a central busi- ness district is a liability in the sense that it substantially reduces the ability of Wheat Ridge to establish a central retail core area and diminishes overall community identity. For that reason it has been suggested that the City consider the establish- ment of a central business district. If an existing shopping area were to be selected as functioning as the Wheat Ridge business district, it would have to be the Applewood Shopping Center. The attributes of the shopping center as a development type are evidenced in that the Applewood Shopping Center can be identified as a viable shopping environment. Yet the selection of this center for the business district of Wheat VI-26 Ridge is not particularly desirable because of its location in the extreme west portion of the existing community. The potential to identify any other business area in the City appears to be extremely limited due to the existing strip commercial development pattern. In view of the fact that Wheat Ridge could benefit both tangibly in the form of increased revenues and intangibly in the form of en- hanced community identity and added shopping convenience for its residents, it is strongly recommended that the City initiate a de- velopment/redevelopment program, the goal of which would be the establishment of a central business district-like shopping complex in Wheat Ridge. Admittedly such a program would be a substantial undertaking probably involving redevelopment, relocation of some existing businesses, coordination and cooperation with private developers, retailers and other private groups as well as with citizen and other public groups. The returns to the City, however, would certainly merit such a community effort. Based on existing development patterns and access requirements as well as the need for a central location within the community, a site on one or both sides of Wadsworth Boulevard between 38th and 44th Avenues, appears the most logical and viable area. Selected Economic Questionnaire Results The city distributed an economic questionnaire to commercial and industrial establishments within the city in the fall of 1975. Of approximately 700 questionnaires distributed, 454, or 65 percent were returned, in various degrees of completion. Following is a review of the more pertinent economic base related question responses. Original Owners. of the establishments surveyed, 65 percent are occupied by the original owner. Additionally the firms questioned have been at their present location an average of 9.2 years- VI-27 N... Expansion Plans: Over one-third (390) of the completed question- naires indicated plans to expand or modernize their present facilities during the next five years. This serves as an indication of the economic health of the business community. Relocation: Eighteen percent (18%) of the completed questionnaires indicated plans to relocate within the next five years. Most im- portantly, 66 percent of these indicated plans to.relocate within Wheat Ridge. Only 24 respondents stated plans to relocate outside of Wheat Ridge. Improvements Needed: In response to the question, If you would improve any aspects of your present business location, what would they be?", the comment most received was a desire for a larger facility (50%). The second most common response was the desire for more parking (27%). Finally, 23 percent stated the need for an entirely new building. In response to a similar question "What are your opinions as to what should or could be done to improve the.general business activities in Wheat Ridge", the need for better transportation access and additional parking were the two most common responses. Residents Employed Within the Community: According to those firms responding, 26 percent of all full time employees are Wheat Ridge residents. Twenty-four percent (24%) of all part time employees are local residents.1 Finally, in response to a request for any general comments regarding business activity in the community, better street, curb and gutter maintenance, a desire for a central shopping area, and more room most individual business expansion were the comments most frequently mentioned. 1434 establishments responded to this question. Total full time em- ployment of these firms was 3,963 persons of. which 1,025 were resi-,i'' dents of Wheat Ridge. Total part time e_?,ployment was 1,524 of whic.'- 429 were Wheat Ridge residents. Compared to the December, 1975 employment estimate of 16,175 persons,,the total employment reported) (full time and part time) by the 434 respondents would represent a sample of 36 percent of total community employ went. VI-28 Unfortunately, a large portion of Lhe returned questionnaires were incomplete, making conclusive interpretation impossible. Retail Commercial Development Projections In order to project retail commercial land use needs several factors must be considered including growth, present deficiencies and City goals, objectives and policies. Population projections for wheat Ridge indicate that the City will grow to a population of approxi- mately 44,000 persons by the year 2000. This 23 percent increase from the present population will in itself create the need for additional retail commercial development. An inventory of off-street parking taken from recent aerial photo- graphs of the City indicates that there are approximately 3,270 parking spaces related to convenience stores and 2,895 off-street parking spaces related to shopping goods establishments.1 Applying the standard of 5.5 off-street parking spaces per 1,000 square feet of gross leaseable area to the GLA attributed to wheat Ridge, it is determined that off-street parking related to retail establish- ments is approximately 10 percent or 6 acres deficient in the City at the present time. Based on the present distribution of convenience and shopping GLA, i four acres of additional parking should be provided in close proxi- mity to convenience stores while 2 acres should be provided in close proximity to existing shopping facilities. It can further be assumed for both the convenience and shopping retail sectors that a 23 percent increase in population will necessitate some additional new retail commercial development; however the consideration of additional new development must be calculated individually for each sector. Because Wheat Ridge is presently capturing over 100 percent of convenience purchases within its trade area, it can be anticipated that the percent 1Includes surfaced and unsurfaced parking areas as interpreted from aerial photographs. VI-29 capture of convenience sales will decrease eight percent (8%) during the planning period. Calculation of the above factors for convenience retail. commercial land use needs indicate that approxi- mately'106 acres of convenience retail development will be required to serve the Wheat Ridge trade area by the year 2000. The commer- cial land use inventory identified45.6acres of existing convenience retail development, resulting in additional convenience retail land use needs of 5.9 acres throughout the planning,period. Determination of future shopping retail commercial land use needs must be based on city policy related to improvement of the shop- ping goods sales. As previously identified it appears that the potential fox major shopping goods development is limited in Wheat Ridge. Through appropriate zoning actions to limit future strip commercial development, possible rezoning of yet undeveloped resi- dential areas along arterial streets and perhaps through redevelop- ment of existing commercial areas, the City can improve the shopping environment. Although the identification of a specific degree of ( improvement is arbitrary at best, it is suggested that the City attempt to increase its present retail shopping goods retail sales capture from the present 56 percent to approximately 75 percent of the shopping goods purchases of the Wheat Ridge trade area. If this were accomplished, it is projected that shopping goods commercial land use requirements would approach 63 acres by the year 2000 or an overall increase of 20 acres. This acreage will accommodate a community level shopping center. Development Potential of Non-Retail Commercial Development it is difficult to project non-retail commercial land use needs due to the lack of sufficient information and standards applicable to these forms of development. Referring to Table 4, Wheat Ridge Selected Services, it can be anticipated that the amount of space devoted to selected services should increase approximately 75 per- cent to raise the receipts for these services to the level of the Denver SMSA. The commercial land use inventory identified approxi- mately 72 acres presently devoted to service commercial land use. VI -30 Applying the 75 percent increase to meet present needs and the 23 percent growth factor for the City, results in a total acreage re- quirement of 155 acres or an increase of 83 acres during the plan- ' ping period. This land use requirement can be substantially de- creased with provision of more than one floor facility and a more prac- tical projection assuming two floor structures is that approximately 100 acres of land will be required for service use during the planning i period. Land devoted to the automotive sector of the Wheat Ridge Commercial economic sector presently amounts to 56 acres. As previously noted, it is believed that the deficiency in the Wheat Ridge automotive sector is due to lack of automobile and mobile home dealerships which may not be increased due to the existence of these facilities outside but near the City. It should be stressed that based on current energy supply conditions and anticipated decline in fuel consumption in the future, the solution to increasing automotive sales is not to increase the amount of service stations or land devoted to their use. Also as previously noted, the tax revenues from the sale of automobiles and similar items is recovered in Wheat Ridge by the 2 percent use tax and therefore, the City is receiving revenues from these sales regardless of where they occur. For this reason, no additional land is projected for expansion of the automotive sector of the City. Industrial Land Use Projections Approximately 150 acres are presently devoted to industrial land use in Wheat Ridge. The amount of land available which has been designated in the land use plan for industrial development gretLtly exceeds this figure. Since the realization of industrial develop- ment is another factor over which the City has little control, it is suggested that a reasonable amount of industrial land be I maintained for future development. It is very difficult to pro- ject the amount of land which will be needed due to industrial ' developments'relative independence from other sectors of the economy, while being sensitive to regional industrial development impact. VI -31 A reasonable standard applicable to industrial development is that the well diversified community can support approximately 1.5 acres of industrial land per 100 persons of population. This would indicate that the City would be able to support 660 acres of industrial land by the end of the planning period. Although it is appropriate that the City reserve approximately this much acreage for industrial development, it is difficult to establish this amount of industrial development as a goal which can be readily achieved. For that reason it is recommended that the City reserve approximately this much land for industrial development while acknowledging the fact that at some later point in time this land may have to be redesignated in recognition of events or con- ditions which could be substantially altered within the next 10 years. k~r.. VI -32 DEVELOPMENT ECONOMIC IMPACT In order to provide a basis for Wheat Ridge to consider and evalu- ate alternative forms of development, Table 8, Wheat Ridge Develop- ment Cost/Revenue Comparison, has been prepared. The table com- pares the costs and revenues associated with 10 acres of residen- tial development including 5 acres of single family development, 2.5 acres of medium density residential development such as duplexes or townhouses, and 2.5 acres of high density or apart- ment type development; ten acres of commercial development equally divided between retail and non-retail commercial; and 10 acres of industrial development assuming a wide range of types of manufacturing and warehousing. Because of the assumed distribution of housing, commercial and industrial types, it must be stressed that this comparison is not intended to sub- stitute for a similar analysis of a specific development proposal since it would be unusual if any one proposal matched the distri- bution of development types included in the comparison. Addition- ally, the following should be noted for accurate interpretation of the table: - The costs and revenues are generalized in that they are based on standards where available or calculations and assumptions where standards are not available. For example, property tax valuation for residential development can be readily determined while the immense variation in the value of commercial and industrial structures and equipment range substantially. Similarly while Wheat Ridge public works costs can be related with some accuracy to streets, police costs and administrative costs have been assigned based on assumed distributions applied to actual Wheat Ridge budgeted amounts. - The comparison should not be interpreted as the actual total costs and revenues associated with development. The costs and revenues comparison illustrates only those applicable VI -33 to the city of Wheat Ridge. The benefits are unusually high in this particular instance because Wheat Ridge does not have the responsibility for the provision of water and sewer service, or fire protection. Additionally, the comparison does not include costs which are normally attributed pri- marily to residential development such as library service and school educational service which again are not provided by the City of Wheat Ridge. The costs of these services should be determined in analysis of a specific development proposal to ascertain the impact of City actions on other governmental entities. It is extremely difficult to project or anticipate costs associa- ted with new development. While the revenues, both annual and one-time, can be determined with some amount of accuracy based on the amounts of income actually received by the City in past years, the cost associated with any 10 acre development may or may not { actually be incurred by the City. For example regardless of the addition of any type of 10 acre development, the City will probably not expand its administrative offices or hire additional personnel. Even at the total projected population level, it is assumed that the City.will continue to employ only one city administrator, one public works superintendent, one director of parks and recreation, one police chief and so forth. on the other hand if the City were to experience significant growth, eventually additions in personnel, facilities and ser- vices would be experienced. For this reason the costs have been applied to the hypothetical developments. Moreover, the comparison results in a conservative estimate of benefit. 4 vl -34 TABLE a Wheat Ridge Development Cost/Revenue Comparison Ten Acres of Mixed Residential Commercial Development Development Industrial Development ANNUAL REVENUES Telephone Franchise Tax Ref und $ 432 435 $ 139 Public Service Franchise 382 1 1,500 1,875 Tax Refund , 368 Highway Users Tax Refund 614 368 Motor Vehicle Tax Refund 781 Auto ownership Tax Refund 214 Road and Bridge Tax Refund 1,876 2,340 1,949 3,848 4,800 3,999 Property Tax h 616 14 8,542 7,403 as Sales and Use Tax - Purc , es Cigarette Sales Tax 1,389 812 704 Sales and Use Tar. - Sales 81,359 Revenue Sharing 940 $100,156 - $16,437 TOTAL i $26,092 ONE-TIME REVENUES Building Permits $ 7,880 $ 6,995 $ 6,830 Sales and Use Tax - Structure 21,380 17,776 16,662 - Contractors Licenses 500 500 500 TOTAL $ 29,760 $25,271 $23,992 r ANNUAL COSTS j Administrative 3,459 $ _ Public Works 3,044 1,827 1,827 Parks and Recreation 2,440 Police f 6'369 730 929 TOTAL $ 15,312 $ 2,953 $ 3,260 lIncludes Mayor, Council, Clerk, Court, Attorney, Community Development Department, etc. VI-35 t TABLE 8, continued Residential Commercial Industrial ONE-TIME COSTS Administrative Facilities $ 10,221 $ 1,171 $ 1,491 Public Works Facilities 1,000 600 600 Parks & Recreation Facilities 9,600 TOTAL $ 20,821 $ 1,771 $ 2,091 SUMMARY One-Time Revenues $ 29,760 $ 25,271 $ 23,992 One-Time Costs 20,821 1,171 2,091 BENEFIT $ 8,939 $ 24,100 $ 21,901 Annual Revenues $ 26,092 $ 100,156 $ 16.437 Annual Costs 15,312 3,953 3,2601 BENEFIT $ 10,780 $ 96,203 $ 13,177 Source: Oblinger-Smith Corporation, Consultants in Planning, Design and Development, 197 6. Summarizing Table 8, it is apparent that commercial provides the L most benefit to the City on both a one-time basis and annual reoccurring,, basis. Both commercial and industrial development result in greater one-time benefits than does residential development since the costs associated with residential development are ten times greater than those related to non-residential development. The sales tax generated by retail commercial development far exceeds the total annual revenues L of non-commercial development resulting in annual reoccurring revenues attributed to commercial development being eight to nine times greater _ than non-commercial development. I vi-36 Overall, residential development is the least beneficial form of development. Actually, if only single fancily housing had been considered, the benefit would have been less than indicated in Table 8 since single family development is relatively low in density requiring greater expenditures per unit than multi-family developments. Also it must again be stressed that the table does not include consideration for such facilities as library and school facilities, so the relative benefit attributed to residential development is misleading. It is anticipated that when the excluded factors are considered, the economic benefit of residential development, particularly single family development, will be significantly diminished. vi-37 APPENDIX The following cost/revenue calculations are provided to assist in future analysis of specific development proposals and in review of the cost/revenue comparison table on page 35. Lot sizes and lot coverage conform to City zoning regulations. where budget infor- mation is noted, 1975 City of Wheat Ridge budget information was utilized. DEVELOPMENT DENSITY Residential, 10 acres Single family, 5 acres - Percentage streets, 250 - Average lot size, 7,500 sq. ft- - Number of units, 21 units - Floor space, 33,600 sq. ft. Medium density, 2.5 acres - Percentage streets, 15% - Average lot size, 3,125 sq. ft. - Number of units, 29 units - Floor space per unit, 1,100 sq. ft. Total floor space, 31,900 sq. ft. High density, 2.5 acres - Percentage streets, 15% - Average lot size, 2,000 sq. ft- - Number of units, 46 units - Floor space per unit, 900 sq. ft. - Total floor space, 41,400 sq. ft. Total residential floor space, 106,900 sq. ft. Commercial, 10 acres - Mixed commercial - Percentage streets, 859. - Maximum lot coverage (building & parking), 90% - Parking area to building area, 2 to 1 Total floor space, 111,100 sq. ft- - Average unit floor space, 10,000 sq. ft. - Number of units, 11 units VI-38 Industrial, 10 acres r _ Mixed manufacturing and warehousing Percentage streets, 85e - Maximum lot coverage (building & parking), 750 Parking area to building area, 1 to 1 - Total floor space, 138,850 sq. ft. - Average unit floor space, 10,000 sq. ft. - Number of units, 14 units V: MISCELLANEOUS DATA Total retail sales (purchases) - $11,049,427 Distribution of retail purchases: Residential: 85% Commercial: 10% Industrial: 5% Total existing housing units - 12,400 units Total existing residential and non-residential units - 14,088 (electric meters) Non-residential street portion of residential streets - 60% VI -40 ANNUAL REVENUES Telephone franchise tax refund: Residential: $4.50/unit x 96 units = $432 Commercial: 2% x $.20/sq.ft. x 111,100 sq. ft. = $445 Industrial: 2% x $.05/sq.ft. x 138,850 sq. It. = $139 Public service franchise tax refund: Residential: 3% x $480/year x 96 units = $1,382 Commercial: 3% x $.45/sq.ft. x 111,100 sq. ft. = $1,500 Industrial: 3% x $.45/sq.ft. x 138,850 sq.ft. - $1,875 Highway users tax refund (Budget revenue - $179,773) Residential: $179,773/2,930 developed acres x 10 = $614 Commercial: $179,773/2,930 x 10 acres x 60% = $368 Industrial: $179,773/2,930 x 10 acres x 60% = $368 Motor vehicle tax refund (Budget revenue - $100,896) Residential: $100,896/12,400 units x 96 units = $781 Commercial: Insignificant Industrial: E Insignificant Auto ownership tax refund (Budget revenue - $27,633) Residential: $27,633/12,400 units x 96 units = $214 Commercial: Insignificant Industrial: Insignificant Road and bridge tax refund (1/2 of 4.64 mi lls x assessed val uation) - Residential: .00234 x 30% x $25/sq.ft. x 106,900 sq.ft. _ $1,876 Commercial: .00234 x 30% x $30/sq.ft. x 111,100 sq.ft. _ $2,340 Industrial: .00234 x 30% x $20/sq.ft. x 138,850 sq.ft. _ $1,949 Property tax (4.8 mills) Residential: 0048 x 30% x $25/sq.ft. x 106,900 sq.ft. = $3,848 Commercial: .0048 x 30% x $30/sq.ft. x 111,100 sq_.ft. = $4,800 Industrial: .0048 x 30% x $20/sq.ft. x 138,850 sq.ft. = $3,999 Sales and use tax - purchases (Total purchases - $111,049,427) Residential: 2% x $111,049,427 x 85%/12,400 units x 96 units = $14,6: Commercial: 2% x $111,049,427 x 10%/260 acres x 10 acres = $8,542 Industrial: 2% x $111,049,427 x 5%/150 acres x 10 acres = $7,403 VI -41 r Cigarette sales tax (Budget revenue - $211,067) Residential: $211,067 x 85%/12,400 units x 96 units = $1,389 Commercial: $211,067 x 1006/260 acres x 10 acres = $812 Industrial: $211,067 x 5%/150 acres x 10 acres - $704 Sales and use tax - Sales (Community shopping center median sales - $73,23/sq.ft.) Residential: N/A Commercial: 111,100 sq. ft. r. 50% (retail) x $73.23 sq. ft. x .02% _ $81,359 Industrial: Insignificant Revenue sharing (Budget revenue - $121,448) Residential: $121,448/12,400 units x 96 units = $940 Commercial: N/A Industrial: N/A ONE TIME REVENUES Building Permits - building permit revenue was determined by ( applying the Wheat Ridge building permit fee schedule to the following: Residential: $7,880 Single family - 1,600 sq. ft. floor area plus basement, garage, e Medium density - 1,100 sq.ft. floor area plus basement, garage, e High density - 900 sq.ft. floor area plus basement, garage, etc. Commercial: 10,000 sq. ft. per structure plus signs, etc. _ $6,9 Industrial: 10,000 sq.ft. per structure plus signs, etc. _ $6,830 Sales and use tax - Structures (40% materials) Residential: 106,900 sq.ft. x 40% x 2% _ $21,380 Commercial: 111,100 sq.ft. x 40% x 2% _ $17,776 Industrial: 138,850 sq.ft. x 40% x 2% _ $16,662 Contractors Licenses Residential: 10 licenses x $25/license x 2 years = $500 Commercial: 10 licenses x $25/license x 2 years = $500 Industrial: 10 licenses x $25/license x 2 years = $500 ANNUAL COSTS Administrative (Budget expenditure - $507,543; number of electric meters in City in 1975 = 14,088) Residential: $507,543/14,088 units x 96 units = $3,459 Commercial: $507,543/14,088 units x 11 units = $396 Industrial: $507,543/14,088 units x 14 units = $504 Public works (Budget expenditure - $895,441; increase of 10 acres equals .340 of total developed acreage) Residential: $895,441 x .34% _ $3,044 Commercial: 60% of residential = $1,827 Industrial: 60% of residential = $1,827 Parks and recreation (Budget expenditure - $315,213) Residential: $315,213/12,400 units x 96 units = $2,440 Commercial: N/A Industrial: N/A Police (Budget,expenditure - $934,685) Residential: $934,685/14,088 units x 96 units = $6,369 Commercial: $934,685/14,088 units x 11 units = $730 Industrial: $934,685/14,088 units x 14 units = $929 ONE TIME COSTS Administrative Facilities (City Hall, estimated cost - $1,500,000) Residential: $1,500,000/14,088 units x 96 units = $10,221 Commercial: $1,500,000/14,088 units x 11 units = $1,171 Industrial: $1,500,000/14,088 units x 14 units = $1,491 Public Works facilities ($100 per acre in residential) Residential: $100 x 10 acres = $1,000 Commercial: 600 of residential = $600 Industrial: 60% of residential = $600 Parks and recreation facilities ($100/unit) Residential: $100 x 96 units = $9,600 Commercial: N/A Industrial: N/A VI -43 SGcTION VII PUBLIC FACILITIES FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO Section VII-Title Page SECTION VII PUBLIC FACILITIES FOR THE CI TY OF WHEAT RIDGE, COLORADO TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE I INTRODUCTION I II MUNICIPAL, GOVERNMENT FACILITIES 1 III POLICE PROTECTION 4 IV FIRE PROTECTION 6 V SCHOOLS 9 VI LIBRARY 10 VII HOSPITAL 15 VIII CIVIL DEFENSE 17 IX POSTAL. SERVICE 1B X SANITARY LANDFILL 20 XI WATER SUPPLY 21 XII SANITATION 23 XIII ELECTRICITY AND GAS 26 XIV TELEPHONE 29 XV RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 30 Section VII-Contents List SECTION VII LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1 COMMUNITY FACILITIES Figure 2 MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT FACILITIES Figure 3 WHEAT RIDGE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT Figure 4 SCHOOL ENROLLMENT PROJECTION Figure S STUDENT DENSITIES Figure 6 EMERGENCY SHELTERS Figure 7 WATER DISTRICTS Figure 8 GENERAL CONDITIONS OF WATER DISTRICTS Figure 9 SANITATION DISTRICTS Figure lU GENERAL CONDITIONS OF SANITATION DISTRICTS PAGE 2 S 11 12 13 19 24 25 27 28 Q,t!n., ITT T_F; m, , Iict I INTRODUCTION Public facilities and services are essential to a community. Their adequacy and quality directly affect the liveability as well as the growth of the community. Wheat Ridge has a wide variety of public facilities and services, such as police and fire protection, schools, mail delivery, electricity, water and sanitation. The general locations of some of these facilities are shown in Figure one. The addresses and some special data of day care and convalesent care facilities are attached in the appendix. II MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT FACILITIES The municipal government facilities are located at five different locations. These facilities are: 1. City Hall, located at 7470 West 38th Avenue. It consists of the City Clerk's office, Department of Administrative Services, Treasury De- partment and the switchboard. This building is rented and has 1,500 i square feet. 2. Offices of the Mayor and City Administrator, are located at 3760 Vance Street. This building is also rented and has 488 square feet. 3. Department of Community Development and Police Department, located at 10900 West 44th Avenue. The Department of Community Development consists of the divisions of planning, zoning, building and code enforcement. This building is owned by the City and has 6,200 square feet. The Police Department consisting of 62 employees is also located in the building, using an area of 4200 square feet. VII-1 tb N cn ~1 - - N p - - - ' P^TU U PTaagS N W F_~U2Tasg x-Y Qaoaazd LL. N J ~ ` L N O ' T A & ~~MSpeM - j V O N Z QE[ JJ a O O~ 5 p G 2 0 2 2 t[/~1 W m 4 i a M ` m e U l 4 i y}l sz 0 ~ .E) IBM _ J 5 p+_ W~ i~ 888 G V • ® 2 W N N U J J O O H 4z aae • Uos D ~S l ~ W J O O W 2 F Q J ~ a of ~ O 4 Q. N W W 1 ~aq ~ U U W~ N Y1 bb 0'C N N too m C 6 ~S OUlTdig • _ N H j D l ~ d ~ j = m S ~ A ® W D l ~ o U N N 0 N F ' peo~ pi~eM a ' pTet3~ unoZ ~ 4 S °m i i VII-2 4. Department of Parks and Recreation, located at the Wheat Ridge City Park at West 44th Avenue and Field Street. There are three buildings on this site. One is the Anderson Building, which is used for the office of the Municipal Court, the meeting places for City Council, Planning Commission, and Board of Adjustment, and some general recreational activities. It has 8,000 square feet. The second building is the Parks Annex. It is used for general meetings and storage. It has 2,900 square feet. The third building is used for staff offices and has 3,000 square feet. The three buildings are City owned. 5. Public Works Department, located at 11220 West 45th Avenue. This site is City owned and has 5,900 square feet. All facilities together have a square footage of 27,988. Except the De- partment of Public Works, all the departments have a shortage of office space in various degrees. However, the exact space requirement for the departments has not been calculated. It requires a detailed survey and projection based primarily on the level of existing and anticipated service delivery, personnel, equipment and storage space for an established time period. The most obvious drawback of the departments is that they are situated in five different locations. Very often, a citizen has to go to more than one department to get his business done. A staff member of one department has to make an extra effort in driving his car to the other departments. Due to the nature of the street system in the City, it is not easy for a stranger to VII _3 locate the facilities conveniently. All these indicate the waste of time of the citizen as well as of the staff in conducting their business. To compound the situation, the Department of Community Development, the Police Department and City Hall have a serious parking problem. The first two de- partments do not even have enough parking spaces for their own staff. It is functionally appropriate for most of the government facilities to be centralized in one location. It will save time and money for all persons concerned in the long run. Due to the shortage of vacant sites in the City, the City government should make its site selection for a City Hall as soon as possible. An alternative is to have the City Hall in an existing building. Besides the government facilities, other cultural facilities such as a library, would be appropriate to be housed in the City Hall. Figure 2 shows the locations of the existing government facilities. III POLICE PROTECTION The Wheat Ridge Police Department has 62 employees under the divisions of Staff Services, Patrol, and Investigation. The Staff Services Division has three units: burglary tactical, training, and crime analysis. The burglary tactical unit is partially funded by the Law Enforcement Assistance Administration Grant, and is in its third year of opera- tion. This unit is continually changing operations and targets in an effort to reduce burglaries. The position of training officer was established in 1975. Since then, 3,089 man hours of in-service training in basic law enforcement has been given to newly recruited officers. VII-4 K as a pn1 qg uc VII-5 (n W F- J U a N 0 C'J 4 0 J _0 Z LL N oM N 0 The Patrol Division also has three units: animal control, dispatch and patrol. This division is the most visible part of the Police Department. The Investigation Division has four units: records, lab technician, detective and juvenile. The juvenile unit was established in 1975, and will be expanded as needed. The juvenile officer handles all complaints regarding juvenile offenders. There is a great deal of cooperation among all the law enforcement agencies in the Denver Metro area. This includes the new tri-city county animal. pound which will be constructed in 1976, and the cooperative training program. By state statue, the Police Chief must be a Wheat Ridge resident. Commissioned officers are under Civil Service Personnel Rules and all other Police Department employees are under Merit Personnel System Rules. IV FIRE PROTECTION Wheat Ridge has two fire districts to provide fire services to the City. They are Wheat Ridge Fire District which covers the area south of Clear Creek, and Arvada Fire District which covers the area north of the Creek. WHEAT RIDGE FIRE DISTRICT Wheat Ridge Fire District has 68 volunteer fire fighters and has the potential to increase to 78. This crew serves a population of about 28,000. The District is governed by a five member board of directors which are elected by the voters. According to the Fire Chief, Jack Willis, they have the capability of serving a population of 50,000 which will be the optimal projection of the City in the year 2000. The only provision is to purchase more equipment for the existing fire station. VII-6 Fire Station No. 1 is located at 3880 Upham Street, and Station No. 2 at 3705 Moore Street. Some of the general statistics of the Fire District are listed as follows: - The District has six engine companies, one quint (a 65 foot hydraulic ladder and engine combination), two squads (salvage company), one ambulance and one truck with 75 foot snorkel is on order. - The District is supported by a three mill levy which generates about $220,000 annually as operating budget. - The fire rating was dropped from seven to six in early 1976- (The fire rating ranges from 1 to 10. The lower the number, the better is the fire protection service). - One fire hydrant covers an average area of 500,000 square feet in the District. (An ideal coverage is 120,000 square feet and an adequate coverage is 250,000 square feet.) - The District has 320 hydrants. More than 150 additional hydrants are needed for adequate coverage. ARVADA FIRE DISTRICT This District has 145 volunteer fire fighters plus 6 employed maintenance and inspection personnel. They serve a population of 140,000 which includes part of the residents of Wheat Ridge and Jefferson County, and all the residents i of Arvada and Leyden. The District is governed by a five member board of directors. VII-7 There are six stations altogether. Three of them serve the portion of Wheat Ridge north of Clear Creek. They are located at 6503 Simms Street, the head- quarters; 7900 West 57th Avenue, Station No. 1; 12205 West 52nd Avenue, Station No. 2. Some of the general statistics are as follows: - The three stations listed above have six pumpers, one aerial (soon will be increased to two) and two squads. The District is supported by a four mill levy which generates about $991,000 annually. - The existing fire rating is seven. GENERAL DISCUSSION At the present, a bill is pending in the State Senate calling for the elimina- tion of special districts. If the bill is passed, it means the city government has to provide its own fire service. It is possible that an increase of taxa- tion would be necessary if this came about, and therefore it is adviseable that the City carefully watch the outcome of this pending bill. A general survey shows that the top ranking cities (in terms of population) have', employed fire fighting personnel, while the second ranking cities have volunteer fighters and employed administrative personnel. Water supply is the only major problem facing both Districts. The water pipes are usually small in diameter and the water pressure is usually low. This means that in many cases, the fire flow is not adequate enough to control a conflagra tion in certain areas. In some areas, the pipelines have been installed under- ground for over half a century and therefore, they are quite worn out. VIpB To compound this problem, the City has 20 water districts. It is next to impossible to have a unified action to improve the overall situation. To increase the fire protection in the City, it is advisable to: 1. Consolidate all the water districts so as to have a unified water adminis- tration and service, or solve the problems of adequate line capacity and adequate number of hydrants in some other manner. 2. Establish the possible location of new fire station in the city in the event the city wishes to combine the existing two fire districts under the city jurisdiction. 3. Establish I.S.O. (Insurance Service Offices) fire insurance regulations as part of the City's Subdivision Regulations. 4. Enforce the installation of fire hydrants in all subdivided areas. The escrow provision is not working. 5. Design a proper criteria for the future industrial construction north of I-70. V SCHOOLS Wheat Ridge is under the jurisdiction of R-1 School District which is the only school district in Jefferson County. There are 14 schools utilized by the res- idents of Wheat Ridge. The total enrollment of these schools as of October, 1975 was 9,477. The capacity with permanent structures was 91208 students. This means that there were 269 students in temporary structures. According to the Jefferson County School District's enrollment projection for the next five years, there will be a decrease in enrollment in each of these VIL9 schools. The percentages range from 0.8% in Pennington Elementary to 29.90 in Wheat Ridge Junior High. The total enrollment of these schools in 1980 is estimated to be 7,996 which is a 15.6% decrease from the existing 9,477. The main reasons accounting for the drop in enrollment is the continuing down- ward trend in birth rate (near zero population growth) and a decreasing number of new families that will move into the City in the next five years. Under these circumstances, no new schools will be built in the City in the near future. In fact, some schools might have the possibility of being phased out. With proper arrangements, the libraries, playgrounds and classrooms of these schools could be used by the citizens. These will definitely achieve the maxi- mum in utilizing the existing facilities. Figures 3 and 4 show the student enrollment, and Figure S shows student densities every 40 acres. VI LIBRARY The Wheat Ridge Branch Library is the only library in the city. It is located at 7055 West 38th Avenue. There are about 20,000 volumes of books (about I two-thirds for adults and one-third for juveniles), 100 records, 12 pictures, 4 newspaper and 50 magazine subscriptions, and 200 pamphlets. The library has no films or micro-film. Special library services include bookmobile, story hours throughout the year, and a reading program for children in the summer. The total square footage of the library is close to 1400 square feet. Because i of the small size, it can only accommodate 1S seats for adults, and 6 for VII-10 FRUITDALE E.S. IIULLERSTRAND E.S. LUMBERG E.S. (COLUMBIA HEIGHTS E.S.) MAPLE GROVE E.S. MARTENSEN E.S. PENNINGTON E.S. PROSPECT VALLEY E.S. STEVENS E.S. (MOUNTAIN VEIN E.S.) WILLMORE-DAVIS E.S. EVERITT J.H.S. MANNING J.N.S. WHEAT RIDGE J.H.S. JEFFERSON S.H.S. WHEAT RIDGE S.N.S. FIGURE 3 WHEAT RIDGE SCHOOL ENROLLMENT ACTUAL PERMANENT ENROLLMENT CAPACITY (1975) 265 271 420 411 710 616 501 456 293 210 378 373 588 54S 474 409 491 468 975 1,038 816 942 642 706 942 1,150 1,713 1,882 PROJECTED ENROLLMENT 1979-80 239 290 545 388 183 370 505 289 391 910 700 495 1,040 1,651 % DECREASED (ACTUAL) 11.8 29.4 11.5 14.9 12.9 0.8 7.3 29.3 16.5 12.3 25.7 29.9 9.6 12.3 TOTAL 9,208 9,477 7,996 (15.6% AV.) VII-II 10,000 9,000 8,000 7,000 6,000 z w U) 5,000 tL O 0214,000 3,000 2,000 I,00c O 1 -.0 1975 1976-77 1977-78 1978-79 1979- YEAR FIGURE 4 SCHOOL ENROLLMENT PROJECTION SOURCE: R-1 SCHOOL DISTRICT VII-12 9,477 TOTAL 9,056 8,704 8,379 7996 3,759 ELEM ARY SCHOO 3,476 L 3.364 3265 3,032 SENIOR IGH SCHOOL 2686 . . e 2,636 2752-.~-~ 2,342 2,691 JUNIOR IGH SCHOOL • 10S R a 14S I PA qS UC 4S' OUTTdT~j VII-13 co w w Q F- ~ v! W Z CL W H Q N z W W o z w .0. S ~ w V y`, ~ Z Y O K 1- N Z$ N T K children. There are two full-time staff, and 4 part-time. The library hours are: Monday through Thursday 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Fridays - 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturdays - 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and closed on Sundays. Parking, is provided in front of the library, plus some parking spaces shared with the adjacent shops. Source of funding is from the property tax which generates about $4 revenue per capita. According to the standards of the American Library Association, a library ser- vicing a population of 336,000 (the 1975 estimated population of the city) should have 72,000 volumes of books, 108 seats, and 21,600 square feet of floor space. The Wheat Ridge Branch Library is below these standards. Fortunately, the new Lakewood Regional Library is not far away from the city. It is located at 10200 West 20th Avenue. The location of other libraries in Jefferson County are: Arvada Regional Evergreen Regional Golden Regional Villa Regional Daniel Branch Edgewater Branch Kittridge Branch 8555 West 57th Avenue Hwy. 73 at Buffalo Park Road 923 10th Street 455 South Pierce Street 1301 Union Street 5845 West 25th Avenue Kittridge, Evergreen VII -14 In the next five years, the Wheat Ridge Branch Library is anticipated to expand its existing facilities, most probably in a new location. It would be ideal to combine the new branch library with the new city hall complex. VII HOSPITAL Lutheran Medical Center in Wheat Ridge is the major health care facility and the only hospital in Jefferson County. The primary service area for this center is the north portion of the county, including Wheat Ridge, Arvada, Golden, and north Lakewood. The secondary ser- vice area includes Gilpin, Clear Creek and portions of Denver and Adams Counties. i South Jefferson County utilizes a variety of medical facilities including Swedish, Porters, Lutheran, St. Anthony's and the downtown hospitals. Lutheran is classified as a full service, short-term hospital. The few speciali- ties not offered at the center include alcohol clinics, burn care, psychiatric services, renal dialysis and therapeutic nuclear medicine. The center ranked third in the Metro area, and fourth in the state for number of admissions with 17,300 inpatients, 36,004 emergency visits and 39,051 outpatient visits in 1975. Of the 17,300 admissions, approximately 30% were residents of Wheat Ridge, and 40% were residents of Arvada. The center has experienced a steady increase in total admissions since 1965 as shown in the following table: VII -IS ADMISSIONS TO LUTHERAN MEDICAL CENTER 1965 thru 1974 Admissions 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 Inpatient 13,261 14,740 IS,378 16,036 17,330 18,184 17,846 17,314 17,228 18,6• % Change +12% 40 4% 8% 5% -2% -3% -.5% 8% from preced- ing year Outpatient $ 21,835 26,547 29,749 33,339 40,247 46,391 52,303 58,431 61,319 70,22? Emergency % Change 22% 12% 12% 20% 15% 13% 11% 5% 15% from preced- ing year Total 35,096 41,017 45,127 49,375 57,577 64,575 70,149 75,745 78,547 88,868 The staff at present totals 689 full-time and 394 part-time. Included are 421 nurses and 79 orderlies. Six hundred and fifteen doctors are affiliated with the center, 92 of whom are from Wheat Ridge. There is no intern or residency program at present. The hospital is built on a 90 acre site roughly bounded by Dudley, West 38th Avenue, West 32nd Avenue and Allison Court. Initial construction was in 1962 and took place on the site of former Lutheran Sanitorium. This -base provided 222 beds. In 1964, 80 beds were added. The eight story building of 359,437 square feet floor space was built in 1973 with 345 beds. There are 803 parking spaces for these buidlings which is considered adequate by the hospital administration. At the present time, the hospital has 400 beds including approximately 55 emergency and outpatient beds. A four story office building was also constructed in 1973. In contains a pharmacy and offices for 33 doctors with a gross floor area of 44,000 square feet. There are 183 parking spaces. VII -16 Short range future plans consist of three two-story buildings of 83,540 square feet south of the present facility for So doctor offices. Plans call for ex- tensive open space and landscaping. Studies leading to the formulation of long range plans are now in process. The impact of these three office buildings on the surrounding streets is expected to be minimal. However, as Lutheran continues to develop, further upgrading of streets and increased signalization may be required. To minimize traffic, and for added convenience for hospitals employees, the bus schedules should be modified to coincide with the working shifts. Even though Wheat Ridge has a surplus of medical offices, these office buildings enjoy a locational advantage. The national trend is toward hospital campuses with central, shared facilities. This convenience for doctors and patients, will result in cost savings. VIII CIVIL DEFENSE Wheat Ridge has participated in the Jefferson County Civil Defense Plan since 1969. This plan includes enemy action, civil disorders, man-made disasters, and natural disasters. The City often appoints the Director of Administrative i Services as the volunteer, part-time civil defense coordinator. The primary emphasis in Wheat Ridge has been on the potential flooding of Lena Gulch. A flood plan was established in 1973 for orderly evacuation VII -17 and protection of residents in the event of a flood. Currently, this plan is being revised. A warning system is coordinated through the Jefferson County Emergency Operation Center, and the County Sheriff's Department with city agencies taking responsibility for different segments of the plan. There are a number of emergency shelters called fallout shelters used for tornadoes or nuclear attacks in the City. Locations of these shelters are shown in Figure 6. The city should make this information readily available to the residents. Every person should be familiar with the shelters nearest to them both at work or school or at home. IX POSTAL SERVICE The Wheat Ridge Post Office has been located at West 38th Avenue and Pierce Street since 1952. This office serves an area approximately bounded by West 32nd Avenue, Harlan Street, Youngfield Street, and the north city limits. The Edgewater Post Office at West 34th Avenue and Gray Street serves the southeast section of the City. The Post Office employs 54 people and provides a contract station for stamps and mail drops in Eaker's Department Store, in Applewood Shopping Center. Approx- imately 50,000 pieces of mail are handled daily, with one delivery per day. The present facility is completely inadequate. According to Post Office standards, at least 15,000 square feet gross floor area is needed for the exist ' ing operation. However, the present gross floor area is only 5,000 square feet. The zoning ordinance would require at least 50 parking spaces with 15,000 square feet of floor space. The present facility has 11 parking spaces, but would VII-18 QA19 NV IMS c C] CS Q L is uvm Q W I V o I OF CS w l-- tj :i 6J 15 91,1111, O 4 Hlsxvo~ © 0 `J 20 0 w W 9 V J 0 W W W U u Ld W W N w LL Q K2Ul 2 W N L ' ~ C Q ~ N ~ N U 3 9 C u. Qr 9 ~ O p U C w ~ O v"3n=n' L~' 6 oa Q ~ v° d _ - O J ' _ - n E G Y r ME- mI a3a~ OOM ~Q N ^ OA 0 _ i pS C N mf4t9°x ;S v ~ L O g ~ ; AW O ~ iUCm m N m U P% m'O ° w oa ~3cy U ° 'mn6 PA E it m VIP r c MESA m m N o v - N c o - - m'u - rd E qc _ a='~ c ' Em° =-^cu - ° - om oz.. Mtn > n AEaa E S _ 3A ° E Ea mcE° = _A O vm d u ~ oo - _ - 3 ° ` ' m m ° ' U xa-~`n iauid <3Q'o :nr23o.<~', ~n ° x ~..~;2 u ua ma u m E m C i~s a a vo can e° n1, N n 1°i2nm to n nn VII-19 need at least 17 under the same ordinance. Even 17 spaces may be inadequate due to the volume of customers served. Another major problem with the present site is the ingress and egress of traffic. Patrons must back into the on- coming traffic to exit because the parking spaces are at right angles to the street. The Post Office is presently searching for a building or a vacant site. Due to the type of service, and the noise generated by mail loading which starts at 4:00 a.m., a location in a commercial area would be desirable. X SANITARY LANDFILL There is no city owned or privately owned landfill in Jefferson County. Edge- water is the only city in the county which has city solid waste pick-up service. (Solid waste is defined as trash, garage or refuse discarded from residences, commercial, industrial, government, and institutional facilities.) All other cities depend on commercial pick-up. There are four sanitary landfills owned by the county. They are located at: 1. West 82nd $ Indiana; 2. Rooney Road F, Highway 40; 3. Pine Junction; and 4. Evergreen. Area 1 has a service span of 5-6 years and area 2 one year. Both areas have the possibility of expanding by acquiring adjacent land. Areas 3 f, 4 are collection points at which the solid waste is collected by Jefferson County staff, and is compacted and buried in Areas 1 and 2. On the average, it amounts to five pounds of solid waste per person per day. VII -20 A House Bill was proposed in January, 1976 for the establishment of a "Resource Recovery District of Metropolitan Denver". This district will encompass all of Boulder and Jefferson Counties, the City and County of Denver, and western parts of Adams and Arapahoe Counties. Unfortunately, the bill was killed in February. Most probably, it will be presented again in 1977. This bill proposes the resource recovery including recovery of energy and re- cyclable material from garbage and trash, or solid waste. In other words, the waste will be so processed "so as to produce materials or other products which may be used in manufacturing, agricultural,. heat production, power production, or other productive processes...". XI WATER SUPPLY There are twenty water districts serving the City. All of the water supply comes from the Denver Water Board. The majority of the districts send out water bills to households monthly or bi-monthly while the others collect from Jefferson County through special assessed mill levies. Denver water supply comes mainly from the western slopes tapped from many of the drainage basins. All the water is processed through one of the three filtra- tion plants: The Moffat Plant at 10901 West 20th Avenue, the Tassler Plant near Waterton, and the Marston Plant near west Quincy area. The maximum processing capacity of the three plants together is about 20,200,000 gallons per hour, or 484,800,000 gallons per day, and 176,952,000,000 gallons per year. The average demand in 1974 was 197,592,000 gallons per day. Peak demand was occasionally much closer to the maximum capcity. VII -21 The annual consumption for the past five years is as follows: 1970 59,571,080,000 gallons 1971 71,834,700,000 gallons 1972 64,139,330,000 gallons 1973 64,105,810,000 gallons 1974 72,120,990,000 gallons The quality of water supplied by the Denver Water Board meets or exceeds, in most cases, the standards set by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The following standards are listed in milligrams per liter: EPA Denver Color units 15.0 10.0 Hardness (calcium carbonates) PH (acidity-alkalinity) 10.0 1.0 Radioactivity, gross beta 500. 250. Turbidity (Jackson units) 5.0 Aluminum -(trace) .05 Arsenic .005 .005 Codmium 0.01 0.02 Chlorine 250. S0. Chromium OS .05 Copper 1.0 0.2 Fluorine 0.5 0.8 Iron 0.3 0.1 Lead 0.05 0.025 Mercury .001 Magnesium -(trace) -(trace) VII -22 EPA Denver Manganese 0.05 0.04 Molybdenum Nitrate 10.0 1.0 Phosphorus 0.5 Potassium Sodium Sulfate 250. 100. Zinc 5.0 0.5 There are no water districts using water wells for human consumption in Wheat Ridge. Jefferson County Health Department samples water conditions randomly in the major districts and the other districts on request. Figure 7 shows the locations of the water districts and Figure 8 summarizes the general con- ditions and the capacities of these districts. There is no shortage of water supply for the existing developments. XII SANITATION There are nine sanitation districts serving the city. Six districts depend entirely on the Metropolitan Denver Sewage Disposal District No. 1 in Commerce City for both primary and secondary treatments. Two have their own primary and secondary treatments and one has its own primary treatment. The two sewage treatment facilities in the City are: The one located at West 41st Avenue and Miller Street (owned by Northwest Lakewood Sanitation District) taking care of the primary treatment only, and the other at West 49th Avenue and Marshall Street (owned by Wheat Ridge Sanitation District) taking care of both VII -23 Huh -a•1'~ f9ll Wii \ ~il Pp P ° ~ 1 P!° e 4 f.- .PPP~J ~ a e ~ 1-~lT.., lip. ~f+aIDO°i c °ev p ,z p Q 5 [ 'e n e p \ .~~n1a ~rF~i 'PA lue • 4S ueTaug U f.~aoaazd ° pnt Lli U a U O N 4S uostaa•eD 4S OuzTdtg x ~ ¢ x r_ ` \ O w ~ i z N - 3 3 a y$1 r m w W 1t tt._ U w F 3 3 \ \ \ J Q Z; 2 \ Z T O l \ 0 {ate Q W \ ` N \\\\\\N- ,.`,;tom-'tea,- a l Y! ¢ r ~„~y m a ¢ 7 ago 31 31 { I'I~I Z W ~ ~ N I Ell I_- Kp J ¢FU f III, W V W m ¢ r i t 3 o ¢w rc Q w - , ¢ z w 3 ~ z ¢ ~ ~ ' ¢ ~ Q U N T F V N a f Q S 6 Q N 8 W w . ~ ~ f w N ¢ rc 3y~ m w a a a 25 3 0 paoy VII-24 U_ C c V cd p I~lalsla m o m `o M °o c ,o 0 113IVM 30ma IV3HM z ^ V O vl N Z F ANVdWOO ONV < Gov < < < < NOISIAIa80S NVWTI3M Z Z Z Z Z Z Z Z N 'L LDI'.LSIG I3VINO0 OI 3'IBVNn NFI.LVM 'SOa9 a9N'dVM F IOIa.LSIO vpo in = ^ < < w v. > w r o ° ImltlM1l A377VA ovcF~z ° ~ rnao" Y ^ Z z C~ Z Y .LOV.LN00 O.L 3'19VN❑ NO1S1A109nS SN9993IS z F ,L01HISIa G Q v Q N N Q .n < c a3IVM1l VN300A Axon v 0 z }zv z z z > u v ,LOI11ISIO a3IVM O1n ° v < o ,o ~z < < < x' o oalaW 39a1'dIUUON L v v n z Z Z Z Z Y Y O M > ~ „ M aalvM w7 AtIVW c < ~ z } z z ~ ANVdWOO ONV IOVINO0 01 379VNn NOSNIASOH 'A '7 rn F DIKSla i o n rn ,o ,o m< y C.°. a3IVM Ia9I7vnb S31VVf n o z - zYZ vl- z _ IOIUSIa a3IVM IOVINO0 OI 379VNn z ° HOanHJIIIBI '7 'r IOIaIS10 11:IJ.UM 0 al3W J.OIaISIa a3IVM 300111HIa0N OI IOVaJ,NOO NO rv a7ISVONVI NNVHd F IOINISIa rv v ~ d^,^ < ~ M 6 m ,n > v o : a3IVAl AIIO 113IVM3903 o~ u v c -+z rnd~ v Z Y Y C1 Z t- I NOIJ.V'IOOSSV a3lVhl m w < n o c < ,0 ,c 6 } c m < 390111 J.v9HM11 ISV3 . z - v z M M o ANVd19O0 a3IVM rv c % c. °c m y 0 7tl0InW aIJIVOI70SN07 .r z o v NOIIVIJOSSv m N M 3 VI8IAn700 SN30aV P. L ZO M N Y Z v z Z p IOIaISIO IOVINOO O.L 3'I9VNn rv 113IVhl I33aJ.S NOIN39 IOIaISIa v ^ v c ,0 6 < c Q a3IVM I33111S 531•JV IOIaIS10 a3IVM IOI111SIO a3IVM 3OOIa IVIMI HHI A9 a3AO NHAVI a3aNVNNIa '3 Ia387V C. O z u w w > i_ w p } U p 0 • ~ G p ] 0. rZn rZn w (i IY G 4) ti C u n C V v V iJ F p C N ww tnH paw N V p O,~H w [-l g ~,~i X' F < C .M .q i . . u C U, to U M, > 0.✓ u ' L'.c0\Q a ' t Q Z Z 6L ^ i f tn-uKQ'-U] O : - p wU' It 4;R m C G w Y] U Z Y-ceoc cacE>u II II It . Q p w Q Z F < n O O u< C p w~.+uw~ 600 }O<. C•}i.~Z Z 66th .~N.-1 ZZ16 m N y .N v ~ v,v N n x M .A tO ~ 3 b A F > ~w •w ae F O.O 0 w w >N S N N v F F O •.~v v E F p v D • 00 ~O F Q. 9 m w c 0 r .O N O1 m, a F ~ o ~ m v c N Y C G 'O U F 0 > f0 A O C G .i C E F N 'rN va F n v. O O rn F N O N V U C N7p a vra u 3 O O O F h C O O W O ~ r,, v VI 1-25- primary and secondary treatments. One abandoned treatment plant, formerly owned by Fruitdale Sanitation District, is located at West 42nd Avenue and Lee Street. There is a strong possibility for regional-wide sewers and sewage treatment services in the future. Figure 9 shows the locations of the sanitation districts and Figure 10 summarizes the general conditions and capacities of these districts. There is no problem for these districts to serve the existing developments. Service for the future developments depends mainly on the treatment capacity of the metropolitan sewage district. Currently, it has a capacity of 98 million gallons per day and will expand to 170 million gallons by the end of 1976. The last estimation as of May, 1975, every 10,000 people would generate approxi- mately one million gallons of flow per day. HIT ELECTRICITY AND GAS Electricity and gas are provided by the Public Service Company of Colorado. As of August, 1975, there are 14,088 electric meters and 10,818 gas meters in the City. One meter may serve several housing units. At the present trend, there will be enough electricity supply for the future demand of the City. However, there is a very poor prospect for additional gas supply meeting the future demand. This depends almost totally on new sources, such as that from the completion of the Alaska Pipeline in the next few years. Currently, the electric power is primarily produced by coal-steam generators, with a small amount of natural gas and oil-steam generators. In addition, there is a hydro-electric power supplemental source at Cabin Creek. VII-26 I ' I 1 I I I 1. I_ l I` S PATH u4-1 ,~g uc '}S 2UZTdi}j ro to VII-27 ro N tY1 lc~ 4~ N V ~ U U _ ~ F' N o F N S r N ~ N F 2 O O O 0 ~ H p ZO ~ Q FQ- a N Q N L $ Z v5 0 N F Q~ y ~ Q N W Z y ~ 2 W 6 N tw'J O O Q ~ fL Q U' ~ Q_ W N K a W w ~ 2 Z u 3 0 ~ ° yW ~ ~i F cF~ Q ;J Y m O Z Q ~ Z U F N_ N ' C N F $ Z Z 4 F W o S ~ O F Q N L N 3 U w J rP a O 2 i> f ~ v Q ~ LL 3 m $ U N LL ly C N 2_ O Q ~ A go 6 w LL W ~ • L < U J y/ N 7 3 H F U c N D o' a, H 'a M O .~i F 0 Z O z m U O F 4 m r M vi M u 'N o H s m J,OINJ.SIa m v H G rn E z °o m aui m e NOI.LVLImvs npvn°u 39aIN.LV311h1 H oo y ~ 6 M M > O ~ Y^ m M N w ° V= LXHISIG M . i L vl N _ ` ° M M V (7 a c i o v u . p , 7 o ° ` NOI.LV.LINVS a z v °i ° o M ~ n a c • 39aIN.LS3M H o 0 M Z O U a v Miulsia t Y NOIJ.V.LINVS 37fltl7IVAtl NOI1MN90dNI ON Y Y M SN301N9 M d o N39NI70 o d Z O > o ¢ u v . MILLSIa m M M Y ^ C C H v C H d] Y NOI.LV.LINVS VI V b i, O A I ^c M N Y 'J t ' M (loom: y VI 6 Z Y> 6 L G I7 1 w i .LS961H.LNON O o O. M M m m : ~ N ° 'o o LOIN LS IU . o < N ~ m o M mo o rn L o u NYJ tO .m . . NOI LV LINVS ~ ~Z;~ aa . z c . . a m o . a 37tlU.LI0N3 H 00 O ' Z O V N u m ; ~ v s « .c3laLSia z u M ~ a NOI,LV.LINVS m a - o 0 o " a s ~ y z N rn a o . N31VM39a3 a °O o zo y > 6 [n M 01 vl NOI LVIDOSSV <>0.~ "M ulN F ~ ° a ~ ° ` .y o . SN3UNMJ wo z °'o+ °4 >i m v ic cz o VI9Wa700 H O O a z C > W u a m [ - w .LOIN.LSIa m m N .y I/f O N V N VI N O UJ e] O H NOI.LV.LINVS M A ~O N y p N [O .O O y y C d ` M O N g C a a o W o • vs O1 ° H E o A377VA . . >1 0.6 ZG .+U Un U ¢ w a 7133N0 Ntl37O o o h M ~ M - O „ O m ul •Y mN H.% ~ ~ .LOItI,LSIa vMi a o G o v¢ ¢ d a m M v v. NOI.LV.LINVS M 0- O Z> . W . L L .1 N O$ a z u z z z m H N v U m 3NIV-739 ° O 6 M M G O W < Z Z z 6 M ¢ r i i F z W .t . Wl.yvvZ `1< . . 6 C2m < ~ W W i Mu i3 c0 . ~ F O a 6 ~ N F D.O. W p...t UF z ~ ~ v z i U ~ u k y 6 uFi F .W m M a F < c. . u . . ~O F W ¢ F 6 a p . i . w z z N F L am S 1 a0 U - Y F. l < <Z F v 4 Wmw M W»60 C~ ~.9-• O c: c W F . . m W `1 N W 'i ~ W= ` W W W c.n <xY¢ a ...¢cu ¢z j VII-28 w d m °o vi 11 M x O M u W c N O N H „w vw N N O r d u o O H O O w F > a 0 r•I M E ~c u o W° .4 N E O G N G 01 O N ; 009 N 1,.ri h ° N A M t0 'O ti d u d 2 •w S ttl 00G > H o v m a ~ 00 o a m M Z O M F II 0 0 n 2 O M S om« 4 m M Z O A nuclear power station at Platteville will be able to produce 330,000 kwt. in a couple of years. Other coal and nuclear power plants are projected to meet future demands. 'T'here are several transmission easements in the City. Some of them are owned by the Public Service Company while others are owned by the property owners along the easements. The former easements would be the ideal places for some sort of recreational activities, such as recreational bikeway and horse-back riding. To prevent the future expansion of the unsightly overhead power lines, a franchised agreement could be established between the City government and j the utility company stating that all the future power lines should be buried. XIV TELEPHONE: There are about 10,000 residential telephone subscribers and 8,200 business subscribers in the City. A subscriber may have one or many telephones. The projection for both residential and business subscribers is about 18,000 in 1996. This means that business will be increased at a faster rate than residential development. At the present, there are two telephone switching offices serving the City. The one located at West 58th Avenue and Webster Street serves the area north ' of West 35th Avenue while the one located at Colfax and Wadsworth serves south of West 35th Avenue. It is anticipated that there will be no problem for the telephone company in serving future customers in the city. VII -29 XV RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS 1. The City should provide adequate fire hydrants to cover all the developed areas in the City. 2. The City should consolidate the existing two fire districts into one Wheat Ridge Fire District. 3. The City should have a City Hall complex at the earliest possible date. Within the complex, there should be enough space to accommodate a library and possibly some other cultural and recreational facility. 4. The City should investigate the possibility of consolidating all the water and sanitation districts. VII-30 SECTION IX. MASTER PLANS FOR AREA DEVELOPMENT Section IX. Title Page SECTION IX. MASTER PLANS FOR AREA DEVELOPMENT ,I A. Wadsworth Town Center Master Plan 1. Description and Purpose 2. General Goals & Objectives 3. Urban Design Goals 4. Implementation Program 5. Design Guidelines 6. Use Areas B. Kipling Activity Center Master Plan 1. Description and Purpose 2. General Goals & Objectives 3. Design and Capital Improvement Concepts 4. Implementation Program Section IX. Contents IX - 1 IX - 5 IX - 6 IX - 7 IX - 7 IX - 9 IX - 10 A. WADSWORTH TOWN CENTER - Master Plan 1. Description and Purpose The area generally bound by, and including the right-of-ways thereof, Wadsworth Blvd., West 44th Avenue, West 38th Avenue, and Upham Street except those residential properties on the west side of Upham Street, have been designated by the Wheat Ridge City Council as an Urban Renewal Area. An Urban Renewal Plan for this area has been approved and adopted by City Council which describes the area, sets forth purpose, and identifies project activities and financing proposals. In order to strengthen the ability to implement the Wadsworth Town Center Urban Renewal Plan, this Master Plan is made a part of the Wheat Ridge Comprehensive Development Plan so the major goals, objectives and urban design concepts are officially recognized through the master planning process of the City. The area covered by this Plan is found to have eminent public interest and therefore should be developed and used in accordance with the adopted Master Plan, and in furtherance of the stated goals and objectives of the Wheat Ridge Comprehensive Development Plan. The goals of the Development Plan being used in this Master Plan are. "SECTION IT. GOALS & OBJECTIVES FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE. II. LAND USE. GOALS: GENERAL A. To recognize land as a valuable and limited resource, which should be used in the best interest of all citizens. (Page II-1) F. To provide for a moderate growth rate which will allow the City to provide an adequate level of services. (Page II-2) OBJECTIVES: 1. By enacting performance standards for all development and redevelopment to ensure positive impact upon the environment, the society and the economy. (Page II-2) 2. By making extensive use of the PUD zoning concept to encourage innovation, design excellence and conversation of land. (Page II-2) IX-1 8. By beautifying the City, using methods such as development of parkways, burying utility lines, enforcement of sign and building codes, and requiring more landscaping on new projects. (Page II-2) GOALS: Commercial and Industrial C. To provide for additional commercial, office and service uses provided that they are conveniently located, attractively developed and meet the demonstrated needs of the City. (Page II-4) OBJECTIVES: 1. By encouraging the development of community activity centers encompassing a broad range of land uses, each complementing the other. These centers must be pedestrian oriented and be unified architecturally. (Page II-4) 2. By promoting concepts such as shared parking or parking structures within commercial areas or activity centers so as to encourage pedestrian activity, thereby reducing use of the automobile. (Page II-4) 4. By providing the amount of land required for the community activity centers, by redevelopment of existing commercial areas, if necessary. (Page II-4) GOALS: Open Space (Page II-4) A. To provide cultural. and recreational opportunities for all citizens. B. To provide psychological visual relief from the effects of urbanization. OBJECTIVES: 2. By encouraging the use of plazas, landscaped areas, parkways, open space and buffer areas within new developments and redevelopments. (Page II-4) III. GOALS: (Page II-6) A. To participate in the development of a well-balanced regional transportation system to move people and goods in a safe, expeditious and economic manner. IX-2 C. To ensure public safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. G. To promote the development of community activity centers which will decrease the use of the automobile. H. To increase the attractiveness of the City's streets. (Page II-6) OBJF)CTIVES: (Page II-7) 5. By controlling access from businesses along major streets - by decreasing the number of curb cuts. 7. By providing more sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, bikeways and pedestrian bridges. 8. By improving and adding where necessary, traffic controls and synchronized signs. 10. By promoting and providing incentives for shared parking and parking structures to decrease the amount of land devoted to the automobile, and encourage pedestrian activity. 11. By provision of additional landscaping along major streets, which will improve the street visually, and also buffer adjoining uses from the effects of traffic. 12. By encouraging screening of parking areas by use of grade separation, landscaping or walls. (Page II-7) IV. ECONOMIC BASE (PAGE II-9) GOALS: A. To encourage a strong diversified economic base, which will enable the City to provide quality services at a reasonable tax rate. B. To utilize the limited developable commercial land in a responsible manner. C. To provide a full range of retail shopping with special emphasis upon increasing furniture, clothing and dry goods'sales. D. To provide a pleasant shopping environment which will make shopping in comfort, safety and convenience possible. IX-3 E. To provide incentive for the development of community activity centers the best method of achieving the above goals. These centers will provide a unified shopping environment, and contain diverse but compatible uses. Pedestrian activity will be emphasized and hopefully the design elements will include shared parking or parking structures, extensive landscaping, plazas, malls, and a unified sign program. The result should be an atmosphere conducive to browsing and comparison shopping, higher sales volume, and increased feasibility of mass transit. OBJECTIVES: (PAGE II-9) 2. By providing incentives for business to relocate to the activity centers and by channeling appropriate new development to the activity centers. (Page II-9) 3. By including within the zoning ordinance, bonuses in lot coverage for such elements as excellent design of commercial areas. (Page II-10) VI. PARKS AND OPEN SPACE GOALS: (PAGE II-11) B. To provide an aesthetic asset to the community and to provide visual and pychological relief from the effects of urbanization. C. To provide open space that functions as part of the structural framework of the City. D. To provide diverse cultural facilities and activities. (Page II-11) G. To include historic preservation efforts within the park program. (Page II-12) OBJECTIVES: 2. By acquiring parks and open space as a part of land development proposals. (Page II-12) 9. By encouraging the inclusion of plazas, malls, buffers and landscaping in proposed development. (Page II-13) In addition to the goals and objectives stated in the Comprehensive Development Plan, the following section illuminates the need for a Master Plan to further define and delineate each of the various commercial activity centers. IX-4 SECTION IV. LAND USE PLAN FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE. The Land Use Plan (Page IV-18) Concepts: The Land Use Plan concept calls for the development of three planned commercial centers for the City. Each center will provide a variety of the needed goods and services with easy access from the neighborhood in which it is located. Instead of providing a collection of activities with no direct interactions, and separated by parking lots and other barriers, these centers will be designed to give a sense of wholeness. Each center will accommodate a diversification or blend of activities. Each activity would be a compliment and therefore a contribution to all other activities. These centers could be approached easily by automobiles along the major arterials. However, within these centers, circulation would be restricted to pedestrian scale with well-landscaped malls and sidewalks. Activities in each center would include retail trade, offices, service establishments, restaurants, recreational and amusement establishments, and public transportation stations. Medium and high density residences could be integrated into the center or appropriately located on the fringes of these activity centers. The proposed planned commercial centers are to be located: 1. Along Wadsworth Boulevard between approximately West 38th Avenue and West 45th Avenue. This center would serve the community generally described as south of Clear Creek and east of Dover Street. (Page IV-18).... Although this is a sound concept, one disadvantage is that it requires a lot of cooperation from developers, businessmen and the City for success. The Land Use Plan is based upon this concept, it is quite important that all parties involved begin in the near future to open dialogue and plan strategies that best suit the desires and needs of all concerned. (Page II-20) 2. General Goals and Objectives of Wadsworth Town Center Master Plan. GOAL: Improve or eliminate conditions of blight. OBJECTIVES: *Upgrade the physical conditions of deteriorated structures, parking areas, interior circulation routes, and general grounds appearance. *Improve vehicular and pedestrian circulation connection, and access opportunities throughout the Town Center. *Provide a more efficient use of land and functional design. *Promote attractive design in new development and redevelopment which unifies the entire Town Center. IX-5 GOAL: Improve safety for vehicular and pedestrian circulation and access. OBJECTIVES: *Provide for defined interior circulation routes as differentiated from parking lot circulation. *Provide for designated pedestrian walks and crossings. *Reduce conflict betwcaen vehicles entering and exiting the Town Center and other vehicles traveling on bordering streets. *Provide for improved mass transit service and facilities. *Upgrade parking lot and exterior building lighting to increase night time safety and crime prevention. GOAL: Stabilize and improve the business environment while providing for a sound and increasing tax base. OBJECTIVES: *Encourage increased patronage of existing businesses, and construction and patronage of new businesses through improvements in circulation, access, attractiveness and identity. *Promote a balanced mix of coinnercial uses, however preserve the ground floor of all structures for retail sales and service uses to create a strong retail center. 3. Urban Design Goals for the Wadsworth Town Center. a. Turn two underdeveloped commercial nodes into a unique 45 acre unified shopping center with a greatly increase] sales tax base. b. Create a TOWN CENTER for Wheat Ridge. c. Concepts. (1) Name of the total project: THE KADSWORTH TOWN CENTER. (2) Create a public promenade along Wadsworth from 38th to 44th. IX-6 (3) Strengthen tree city designation with tree planting on edge. (4) Create a heritage park as the central focal point of the promenade. (5) Strong use of color in the plantings to last the full growing seasons. (6) Create a safer more attractive parking lot and circulation area for shoppers as they drive and walk. 4. Implementation Program. The Plan calls for a combination of financing methods including tax increment financing for the Urban Renewal Project, Special Improvement District bond financing and industrial revenue bond financing for the private development projects. To augment the financial implementation program, it will be necessary to regulate land use and design in order to achieve all the stated goals and objectives of this master Plan. The use of Planned Development zoning or site plans and overlay zoning will be required where needed to protect the public interest. All future rezonings in the area shall be Planned Commercial Development. 5. Design Guidelines. Figure 1 shows the total Project area and illustrates the urban design concepts in a generalized fashion. This Figure shall serve as a guide for future rezonings, planned development site plans, and building permit review. The Director of Community Development shall review all future develoomnt proposals and building permits to assure compliance with the design guidelines as shown in Figure 1 and as further specified herein. Recognizing that Figure 1 is a design concept and lacks detail and specificity, it does provide guidance for future approval decision on general vehicular circulation and access, and on building layout and location. In addition to the generalized design guidelines, it is essential that the major vehicular circulation routes be specifically located, and standards be established. Thus, the following design standards shall be followed: IX-7 A. Main Circulator Route= The main vehicular route which is proposed between West 38th Avenue and West 44th Avenue, which goes directly in front of the main mass of buildings shall be constructed between the buildings and parking area within a recorded 30 foot wide ingress/egress easement to be constructed as per the following cross-sectional diagram. MAIN CIRCULATOR PARKING r VIEW NORTH TWO 12' LANES 5-6' 16-20' BUILDING FACADE PEDESTRIAN WAY IX-8 13. Major Lntrances: There ire three major entrances proposed for this area. One at 44th amyl Vance, one at 43rd and Wadsworth j on Three Acre Lane, and one at 39th and Wadsworth. It is essential that these major entrances be visually prominant, safe and efficient. The major entrances shall be designed as two lanes entering and two lanes exiting, separated by a median, and controlled by a traffic light to facilitate full turning movements. The following cross-section depicts the recommended and the minimum standard for major entrances. Q~ OJ SOLID I MEDIAN ' TWO 9' LANES MINIMUM 40' LANDSCAPED SIDEWALK GJP % LANDSCAPING MEDIAN rO TWO 9' LANES TWO 55' RECOMMENDED QQI GJ LANES VIEW EAST SP GJ 6 IEW EAST 6. Use Areas. j Figure 2 details use categories for various areas within the i Project Area. This shall serve as a guide for future rezonings, site plan reviews, and building permit reviews. Prior to any development within the area covered by this plan, the developer shall submit a site plan which details site design and layout, and proposed uses. Such site plan and uses shall be reviewed and approved by City Council after a public hearing. The public hearing shall be advertised and posted for public hearing 15 days in advance and shall be decided upon by Council motion. IX-9 F oe FIGURE 1 GENERAL DESIGN CONCEPT e i 3 w 3 rr d F - z CL O J w w 0 w cc w Z U O 2 O 'l- 8 ~ FT, 8, p QrA ,rye gu, q an o? l~ r, y IP Py el • Z O Z N -l w w ~ D ~ Q Q w Cl) D d d q o~ V q q q O N M N d ° _J dd .Js q ~ Q 6d$ Q.. Y u V W'~ W W o a 2 N w° f v q d ~ P N U d O y ir o..o ; w g Z~ Y O (7Zww § aY' m N _ W m q u°=i ¢ Shi o N O qOA M 44.• rl N zBOT g 4 > J Q W T Q 0 T d O E C % W A O O y d U N d W D L P V 7 q 3 Y d U U Q q L M W0 S J F 9 w d W W n /1 u¢ ti L d N 1R 8 Q _ O L. Y LI N Qi P u % M y K q ~ d 1 IY U al K E II. a y 1.1 4 P IA - II B. KIPLING ACTIVITY CENTER - Master Plan 1. Description and Purpose The area generally bound by West 51st Avenue on the north, Garrison Street on the east, Clear Creek on the south, and Miller Street on the west, has been designated by the Wheat Ridge City Council as an urban Renewal Area. An Urban Renewal Plan for this area has been approved and adopted by City Council which describes the area, sets forth purpose, and identifies project activities and financing proposals. It is the intent of this Master Plan and of the adopted Urban Renewal Plan to create two thriving commercial centers; one being oriented to the intersection of Kipling and Interstate 70 and filling the needs of the interstate family traveler, mountain bound tourist, business person, conventioners, and other interstate oriented businesses. The other commercial center would be oriented to the intersection of Kipling and West 44th Avenue and would serve the retail, service, and office needs of both local and pass through traffic. Each such center should be integrated and unified to the extent that access to and circulation between individual developments is both convenient and safe. Although the Comprehensive Plan - Future Land Use Map currently illustrates the Kipling Activity Center land use designation only south of I-70, this plan recognizes the interface and integration of the land north of I-70 and thus the Commercial Activity Center land use category has been extended north of I-70. In order to strengthen the ability to implement the Kipling Activity Center Urban Renewal Plan, this Master Plan is made a part of the Wheat Ridge Comprehensive Development Plan so the major goals, objectives and urban design concepts are officially recognized through the master planning process of the City. The area covered by this Plan is found to have eminent public interest and therefore should be developed and used in accordance with the adopted Master Plan, and in furtherance of the stated goals and objectives of the Wheat Ridge Comprehensive Development Plan. The goals of the Wheat Ridge Comprehensive Development Plan being used in this master Plan are: IX-12 "SECTION II. GOALS & OBJECTIVES FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIUGE. II. LAND USE. GOALS: GENERAL A. To recognize land as a valuable and limited resource, which should be used in the best interest of all citizens. (Page II-1) F. To provide for a moderate growth rate which will allow the City to provide an adequate level of services. (Page II-2) OBJECTIVES: 1. By enacting performance standards for all development and redevelopment to ensure positive impact upon the environment, the society and the economy. (Page II-2) 2. By making extensive use of the PUD zoning concept to encourage innovation, design excellence and conservation of land. (Page II-2) 8. By beautifying the City, using methods such as development of parkways, burying utility lines, enforcement of sign and building codes, and requiring more landscaping on new projects. (Page II-2) GOALS: Commercial and Industrial C. To provide for additional commercial, office and service uses provided that they are conveniently located, attractively developed and meet the demonstrated needs of the City. (Page II-4) OBJECTIVES: 1. By encouraging the development of community activity centers encompassing a broad range of land uses, each complementing the other. These centers must be pedestrian oriented and be unified architecturally. (Page II-4) 2. By promoting concepts such as shared parking or parking structures within commercial areas or activity centers so as to encourage pedestrian activity, thereby reducing use of the automobile. (Page II-4) IX --I:i 4. By providing the amount of land required for the community activity centers, by redevelopment of existing commercial areas, if necessary. (Page II-4) GOALS: Open Space OBJECTIVES: 2. By encouraging the use of plazas, landscaped areas, parkways, open space and buffer areas within new developments and redevelopments. (Page II-4) III. TRANSPORTATION GOALS: (Page II-6) A. To participate in the development of a well-balanced regional transportation system to move people and goods in a safe, expeditious and economic manner. C. To ensure public safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists. G. To promote the development of community activity centers which will decrease the use of the automobile. H. To increase the attractiveness of the City's streets. (Page II-6) OBJECTIVES: (Page II-7) 5. By controlling access from businesses along major streets - by decreasing the number of curb cuts. 7. By providing more sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, bikeways and pedestrian bridges. 8. By improving and adding where necessary, j' traffic controls and synchronized signs. le. By promoting and providing incentives for shared parking and parking structures to decrease the amount of land devoted to the automobile, and encourage pedestrian activity. 11. By provision of additional landscaping along major streets, which will improve the street visually, and also buffer adjoining uses from the effects of traffic. IX-14 12. By encouraging screening of parking areas by use of grade separation, landscaping or walls. (Page II-7) "IV. ECONOMIC BASE (Page II-9) GOALS: A. To encourage a strong diversified economic base, which will enable the City to provide quality services at a reasonable tax rate. B. To utilize the limited developable commercial land in a responsible manner. C. To provide a full range of retail shopping with special emphasis upon increasing furniture, clothing and dry good sales. D. To provide a pleasant shopping environment which will make shopping in comfort, safety and convenience possible. E. To provide incentive for the development of community activity centers the best method of achieving the above goals. These centers will provide a unified shopping environment, and contain diverse but compatible uses. Pedestrian activity will be emphasized and hopefully the design elements will include shared parking or parking structures, extensive landscaping, plazas, malls, and a unified sign program. The result should be an atmosphere conducive to browsing and comparison shopping, higher sales volume, and increased feasibility of mass transit. OBJECTIVES: 2. By providing incentives for business to relocate to the activity centers and by channeling appropriate new development to the activity centers. (Page II-9) 3. By including within the zoning ordinance, bonuses in lot coverage for such elements as excellent design of commercial areas. (Page II-10)" In addition to the goals and objectives stated in the Comprehensive Development Plan, the following section illuminates the need for a Master Plan to further define and eliminate each of the various commercial activity centers. IX-15 "SECTION IV. LAND USE PLAN FOR THE CITY OF WHEAT RIDGE. The Land Use Plan (Page IV-18) Concepts: The Land Use Plan concept calls for the development of three planned commercial centers for the City. Each center will provide a variety of the needed goods and services with easy access from the neighborhood in which it is located. Instead of providing a collection of activities with no direct interactions, and separated by parking lots and other barriers, these centers will be designed to give a sense of wholeness. Each center will accommodate a diversification or blend of activities. Each activity would be a compliment and therefore a contribution to all other activities. These centers could be approached easily by automobiles along the major arterials. However, within these centers, circulation would be restricted to pedestrian scale with well-landscaped malls and sidewalks. Activities in each center would include retail trade, offices, service establishments, restaurants, recreational and amusement establishments, and public transportation stations. Medium and high density residences could be integrated into the center or appropriately located on the fringes of these activity centers. The proposed planned commercial centers are to be located: In the vicinity of Kipling Street between Clear Creek and Highway I-70. This center would serve roughly the northern portion of the City. There is still quite a lot of vacant land here for all types of development. (Page IV-18) . . . . . Although this is a sound concept, one , disadvantage is that it requires a lot of cooperation from developers, businessmen and the City for success. The Land Use Plan is based upon this concept, it is quite important that all parties involved begin in the near future to open dialogue and plan strategies that best suit the desires and needs of all concerned. (Page II-2U) 2. General Goals and Objectives of Kipling Activity Center Master Plan A. GOAL: Improve or eliminate conditions of blight. IX-16 OBJECTIVES: (1) Upgrade the physical conditions of deteriorated structures, parking areas, interior circulation routes, and general grounds appearance. (2) Improve vehicular and pedestrian circulation connection, and access opportunities throughout the Center. (3) Provide a more efficient use of land and functional design. (4) Promote attractive design in new development and redevelopment which unifies the entire Center. B. GOAL: Establish a unified commercial activity center from the northern boundary of the City, approximately 51st Avenue extended, to Clear Creek on the south, which focuses on two Development Centers: The Kipling/I-70 Interchange and the Kipling and 44th Avenue Intersection. OBJECTIVES: (1) Encourage increased patronage of existing businesses, and construction and patronage of new businesses through improvements in circulation, access, attractiveness and identity. (2) Unify, rehabilitate, strengthen, and develop the I-70 and Kipling Development Center to gain maximum retail sales tax generation and optimize other tax revenue sources from the Development Center. The customers to be encouraged because they support and stimulate each other are: (a) interstate family traveler, (b) mountain bound tourist, business person, conventioners, and other interstate oriented businesses. The needs of the interstate trucking business, which focuses on the semi-tractor trailer, is provided for at the I-70 and Ward Road interchange with the truck stop. This objective of the I-70 and Kipling Development Center will be diminished if truck stop activities are allowed within either the I-70 and Kipling Development Center or the Kipling and 44th Avenue Development Center. IX-17 (3) Unify, rehabilitate, strengthen, and develop the Kipling and 44th Avenue Development Center to gain maximum retail sales tax generation and optimize other tax revenue sources from the Development Center. The businesses to be encouraged should be oriented to serve the interstate activites listed above in #(1), the Kipling arterial/state highway north-south through traffic and the City wide and neighborhood traffic that uses the east-west collector street system. Retail sales j businesses should be the first priority, followed by service and office uses. (4) North and east of I-70 and Kipling there are areas of office and business park uses, which should be integrated with the overall center. Retail uses related to those sales, wholesale, assembly and storage uses should be encouraged in addition to retail uses such as restaurants which serve the business community and surrounding areas. C. GOAL: Improve safety for vehicular and pedestrian circulation and access. OBJECTIVES: (1) Provide for defined interior circulation routes as differentiated from parking lot circulation. I (2) Provide for designated pedestrian walks and crossings. f (3) Reduce conflict between vehicles entering and exiting the public street system by requiring accel-decel lanes where necessary with new development or redevelopment. (4) Provide for improved mass transit service and facilities. (5) Minimize the negative impacts created by semi-trucks and trailers by discouraging their use of this Center, and/or by properly providing for them, where they occur, through proper design of parking areas and circulation routes. 3. Design and Capital Improvement Concepts for the Kipling Activitv Center. In order to achieve the above stated goals, land use control and capital improvement planning will be essential elements contained within this Master Plan. IX-18 Figure 3 illustrates proposed land use areas. This shall serve as a guide for future rezonings, site plan reviews, and building permit reviews. Figure 4 illustrates the vehicular traffic circulation routes and control facilities both existing and proposed, which serve, or are necessary to serve, these centers. This shall serve as a guide to future public and private capital facility planning. 4. Implementation Program. The Urban Renewal Plan calls for a combination of financing methods including tax increment financing for the Urban Renewal Project, Industrial Revenue Bonds, and Special Improvement District bond financing for the private development projects. To augment the financial implementation program, it will be necessary to regulate land use and design in order to achieve all the stated goals and objectives of this Master Plan. The use where needed to protect the public interest. All future rezonings in the area shall be either Planned Commercial Developments or straight zoning with conditional site plan approval. Figure 3 details use categories for various areas within the Project Area. Those use categories are described as follows: Business Park: A mix of retail, office, service, commercial, and/or light industrial uses. Retail/Highway Business: Retail commercial uses primarily oriented to the interstate or highway traffic. Office/Retail: A mix of retail, service, and/or office uses. Public: Pennington Elementary School. Multi-Family: Camelot Club and Ptarmigan multi-family developments. Church: United Methodist Church. Retail: Primarily retail uses. Office: Primarily office uses. Shopping Center: A planned development with major emphasis on retail sales uses. IX-19 Both Figures 3 and A shall serve as guides for future rezonings, site plan reviews, and building permit reviews. Prior to any development within the area covered by this plan, the developer shall submit a site plan which details site design and layout, and proposed uses. Such site plan and uses shall be reviewed and approved by City Council after a public hearing. The public hearing shall be advertised and posted for public hearing fifteen (15) days in advance and shall be decided upon by Council motion. IX-20 t z K woo M:,~ as 'AqN r9 \ ~'ZSS V5 1 0Y. tl~ I E{ 1\!41~ III !IIh CI II 'f 1 ' a r I ~ IIII ill I I }I cr y w D. . ' I~ r~I ~^jT• hYY II a 7 ]]14 1~ tj r~F 1'w111 a I~ ~ . rv Z Fn k ki u41j I I ~k ~kl~{'$ ss; 1 ~ J m m °n,a z Qa. ~ J is ell tlal M1 ~~n i ~tf1 ° Ldf v 7P 9 CI x o 3 n , uh I F 1 K ua .~s 'fir -r 1. ~r ~k u7,`, at~y"4J~r F J~J Y. U7 it , Fei ~a a 4 pI R1 m G rm+ 1 5 j O s IJV`' p yC _ Z nmNZ- r ~~r$Uj~l d111'I'7')fa." m m ~ a a( _ I :ti ~,I{ C 1 I ki'F s r t r ®2f M M M z~ I r 1 ! I) I~ }I•r °''~'IIa~ 1`wF a:. a .►.5]{d 7D m -m{. 1 1 ! r"4xipy tll E "al3k''~.jIPm'z;' r 3 $ non m w i D_ d 'y i,lf41i1~1 gqg9y~1~~ '1_ a~D Nm r Hsy~ • IehhCe GII~41T1 r. n m n w II, I I :P yes ~ I II 11 1, I ryo Y® I~ y(f Ip 14 hAw5'n~lu4y - ~r n N g 1!1 i { 4 S iIXV .F'h0 ~C51z~I ~I k a II ~~7 I~Y• C r 1l~ 9 I I I T Vf"' (i I1 Fw # " r; CO J F L pA~~I I D I ~ U'~' h's4~ liy~ 10_ Zf .S1ea 1 I ~Ip 3 fit, ~ Y`~®®®e® A IIr ~y r 1 r II Ft 4ir vj1 D 4 ~ rr ; 1II , F.I I rra iI GI y~ , i II~~~4 . sll~ p ( 4 k P ~ 6 24A f~ ~I tl3 I' Itil iP ''y4s ~s 1 {I ilI v ~ ' ~CS M 1~ 1T ( ~G N r~ \ ~ I ~S la 71i~ ` 4s gill a ~o®®® ~I 3 @~° mY Nand ' r `a re c5\ ~ V/ O 2 O Z z m v m r V Z O "'1 AL 11"h 11 )13L-j I.-. KIPLING PROJECT AREA c FUTURE LAND USE MAP °t; 1`I 'nom ' MASTER PLAN I - NEWGATE IN WHEAT RIDGE FIGURE 3 IX-21 NORTH City of Wheat Ridge. Colorado Department of Community Development WHE AL R 6A r-T KIPLING PROJECT AREA VEHICULAR 5+e ° l f CIRCULATION PLAN ON r i" - o ra d ~•:zo - S U a :JI~yJ Sri. f•:xc 7 - m Z® IL I w ~0~ O~ v I "Do T~ W d01M ~ y1_ Ilil■I■I~I~1~CAMELOT 0 NEWGATE IN WHEAT RIDGE fSD. R {EE'N TRAFFIC SIGNAL l? ~r rL E Rt5 U3. I.I. lots,, lie 6 MINIMINI ti l!I a ft ®1 pUS ' My.iy ail ~ L N 1^~`lDG I BR OS ~L 5 I- 1. T E R rt.xi,c*a. ry L $ U B. oL a Iq o~ - UC H E NHS I`I UCHEA 'S• G AR D. PLA< I~GAR EN PLACE it W 4 th ® I L rI,RIN~" City of Wheat Ridge. Colorado :::?~:::•::•::iU:v:•: - ARTERIAL ST. COLLECTOR ST. ■1. Aisr! INTERNAL CRCULATION Q! FIGURE 4 IX-22 NORTH DDf+artment of Community DcVOOPmeol